The scare story that refuses to die. Given the state of the nation, the Fairness Doctrine would be a back-burner issue if it really was an issue, which it does not seem to be. 

People will believe what they want to believe, evidence be damned, and manipulating fear has its payoffs.

Comments

[David Wharton]

"Boogeymen," and "hobgoblins and banshees"?

That's no way to refer to the Speaker of the House. In fact, "banshee" is downright sexist. For shame!

[Lex]

This is only slightly less annoying than the "Congress is going to start charging you for every e-mail you send" rumor. Pelosi may want to do this, but that's a lot different from introducing a bill, getting it favorably reported out of committee, etc., etc. Not to mention the likely (and likely successful) court challenges if all this were to come to pass.

[David Wharton]

It's weird that the "debunking" links don't mention the two people who say they favor the Fairness Doctrine: Pelosi and Louise Slaughter. Instead they go after a bunch of straw men, and throw in some snarky ridicule.

Yes, the legislative process is long and slow, and Pelosi is not all-powerful, so reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine is probably not imminent. But deals can be cut, and cirucuitous routes for these things can be found. I'm not a conspriacy theorist, but I do know that plenty of Democrats would like Rush Limbaugh and Fox News just to disappear. If conservatives weren't being so noisy on this issue, I think you'd see a lot of people leaning the other way. Will et al. are right to be prophylactically annoying.

[Fred Gregory]

Spot on David. Let's hear it for annoying.

Here is a calm, non-conspiratorial look at the issue:

Crying Wolf..Maybe..but..

And back by popular demand is the homogeneously NPRish guy that was in our living rooms for so many years until alternatives came along. Just the kind of balanace those who have no problem with the Fairness Doctrine prefer :

Poyuan Wei

[Ed Cone]

"prophylactically annoying."

Thank you for that.

I don't disagree that offense is good defense, but there's also such a thing as fear-mongering and fund-raising and self-important victimization, and I sense those things at work here, too.

It's not just a matter of the process being slow, it's the lack of interest (or outright opposition) by the President-elect, the bloggers, et al.

[Spag]

I don't know Ed. When we talk about Obama and taxes you say "wait and see" now that Obama appears to be on track to do what McCain and Bush have done on that issue.

But on this issue, you don't have the same "wait and see" attitude.

Here's some advice. Wait and see. They won't call it the "fairness doctrine", they will call it something else but it will have the same effect.

Wait and see.

[David Wharton]

And it's still not dead!

What happened to all the previous comments in this old thread? I remember linking some other stuff on this topic, and it's all gone now.

[David Wharton]

Ok, now I can see the previous comments. Something funny about Typepad, I guess.