Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., caused a stir recently when she criticized
talk radio for its role in stopping the recent immigration bill. Talk radio,
she lectured, "pushes people to...extreme views without a lot of
information."
Feinstein then went on to suggest that it might be time to bring back the
"Fairness Doctrine, repealed in 1987, that mandated private radio stations
devote time to all points of view during discussion of controversial topics.
Unfortunately, Feinstein chose Orwellian logic to make her point: "I
remember when there was a fairness doctrine, and I think there was much more
serious correct reporting to people."
One wonders what Feinstein meant by "correct." Correct to whom? Democratic
senators, a government auditor or New York Times editors? Aside from the
central issue of stifling free speech, there are a number of things wrong
with Sen. Feinstein's desire to have the government arbitrate what is "fair"
and "correct" on your car radio.
Talk radio is as much entertainment as political opinion. It lives or dies
by ratings. Those who master the genre - with off-the-wall jokes, mimicry,
satire and bombast -prosper and get their political message across. Those
who can't, don't.
Had liberal talk show hosts of the past, like an Al Franken, Jerry Brown or
Mario Cuomo, won far more listeners than Rush Limbaugh, one suspects that
Sen. Feinstein would see little need for new laws. And we would probably now
be spared the present sour-grapes cries about fairness.
The government is already in the broadcasting business with National Public
Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service. Despite conservative whining
about the leftwing biases of these two institutions, fortunately no one has
succeeded in having their broadcasts monitored or in demanding equal time on
them for all views.
More importantly, for reasons that are not entirely clear, liberals and
conservatives tend to excel in different genres of American media. Most
successful political radio talk shows are in fact conservative. On the other
hand, humorous political TV spoofs, like Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show,"
Bill Maher's "Real Time" or "The Colbert Report," tend to have a liberal
bias.
Similarly, the major networks - CBS, NBC and ABC - are liberal bastions. So
are most of our motion pictures and documentaries. The most prestigious and
oldest grant-giving foundations - Rockefeller, Ford, MacArthur and
Guggenheim - are liberal leaning. Likewise are the majority of universities,
from the most prestigious, like Harvard, to the largest, such as the
California State University system.
Yet, do we want a counter-editorial to everything a Katie Couric chooses to
present as news at dinnertime? Or should we demand that Republicans match
Democratic numbers on college faculties, or as graduation speakers and grant
recipients? Should conservatives be provided an equal-time trailer at the
end of "Fahrenheit 9/11" or "Syriana"?
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