All鈥檚 Fair in Love and Talk Radio
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, 鈥減ushes people to . . . extreme views without a lot of information.鈥?br>
Feinstein then went on to suggest that it might be time to bring back the 鈥淔airness Doctrine, repealed in 1987, that mandated private radio stations devote time to all points of view during discussion of controversial topics.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: 鈥淚 remember when there was a fairness doctrine, and I think there was much more serious correct reporting to people.鈥?br>
One wonders what Feinstein meant by 鈥渃orrect.鈥?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鈥檚 desire to have the government arbitrate what is 鈥渇air鈥?and 鈥渃orrect鈥?on your car radio.
Talk radio is as much entertainment as political opinion. It lives or dies by ratings. Those who master the genre 鈥?with off-the-wall jokes, mimicry, satire, and bombast 鈥?prosper and get their political message across. Those who can鈥檛, don鈥檛.
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鈥檚 The Daily Show, Bill Maher鈥檚 Real Time, or The Colbert Report, tend to have a liberal bias.
Similarly, the major networks 鈥?CBS, NBC, and ABC 鈥?are liberal bastions. So are most of our motion pictures and documentaries. The most prestigious and oldest grant-giving foundations 鈥?Rockefeller, Ford, MacArthur, and Guggenheim 鈥?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?
The truth is that savvy Americans navigate well enough on their own through our various partisan genres. Liberals flip through the New York Times, tune into NPR on the way to work, and rave about a movie or documentary damning the Iraq war. Conservatives call into Rush or Hannity, check blogs for their news, and watch Bill O鈥橰eilly on cable.
There is a sort of irony in the debate over talk radio. Of all our media, it is perhaps the most populist. A radio host requires neither a journalism degree nor political connections. He just needs sheer talent. The unforgiving market 鈥?judged by how many turn the dial to your show or call in with questions 鈥?alone adjudicates success. Liberals who profess affinity for the little guy should welcome this prairie-fire revolt against the more highbrow New York Times, CBS News, or NPR.
Finally, is the new politicking on radio any different from what goes on, in subtler fashion, elsewhere? Liberal media do not consider themselves biased, since selecting what story appears on the front page or leads the evening network news is far more nuanced partisanship than a Michael Savage screaming about the latest liberal transgression.
Yet that does not mean that Walter Cronkite鈥檚 famous on-air declaration that the Vietnam War could not be won was any less political. Or how about Dan Rather鈥檚 pre-election assurances that a forged memo about George Bush鈥檚 National Guard service was authentic?
Rather than promoting government audit of our opinion media, liberals should master talk radio and cable news. And conservatives should work harder at providing counter-voices in Hollywood, on the campuses, and amid the major networks and newspapers.
Then let the best men and women win in the free arena of ideas and entertainment. The liberals are being jealous little babies here because they can't get ANYONE to listen to liberal talk radio. They TRIED with Air America and it failed.
Instead of trying to make their programs better, they want to DEMAND we listen to their crap or we can't listen to Rush. She confuses free speech with political correctness You hit that nail right on the head! I can't add anything to it. there are many other SHORTER way to say you think she sucks...it should be noted however, not a single one of those talk show hosts mentioned her grilling of the attorney who prosecuted the two border patrol agents who were sent to prison for shooting drug smuggling illegals As the English like to say,"Here! Here!". I agree with you that wat the senator said and proposed was a little ridicoulous, but i cant help but notice that perhaps liberals are angrier at the conservative bias of radio shows because they are almost always offensive. I can't stand Feinstein. She is one of my senators, but in the case of the kind of information one gets from the mainstream corporate t.v and radio, she is right. It keeps the electorate ignorant about the issues. The New York Times wasn't liberal when it was a Bush advocate and reported the Bush lies without question before the Iraq war. Now it's liberal? PULEASE. And, CBS dosn't report anything. Katie Couric is a dunce who eliminates anything that is newsworthy before she sits down.
Corporate radio doesn't have liberals on it because the liberals don't go along with their corporate agenda on keeping the electorate uninformed. Sorry to inform you but most liberals don't listen to Air America because it is too too commercial. NPR is conservative and has twice as more conservative spokespeople interviewed than liberals. Sorry, but your argument is flawed on so many levels it makes it laughable at best. It's so flawed that you'd fail logic 101 or Argumentation classes in college. There are no free arena of ideas and entertainment. You just don't get it. Giant corporate entities own these venues and they don't want people like Kucinich, Noam Chomsky, Ralph Nader, or other intellectuals from the center or left because they know that as soon as they open their mouths the people will actually listen. They want to keep you uninformed with a kind of 'news' that is entertainment and has been gutted of any real information before it hits the airwaves. The more you listen the less you know. WAKE UP!
BTW, we liberals have had liberal radio for over 55 years. It's called Pacifica radio and it has been going listener strong for a very long time. And, it's growing fast. It's alot better than Air America could ever be. There are no commercials because it is 100% listener sponsored. And, it can be listened to on the web all over the country and the world. We don't need any corporate sponsorship or rich right winger proping up someone like Limpdick or Man Coulter. We pay for our radio and we have some of the best interviews, intellectuals and experts in the fields on air. This is something you cons will never have because you prefer a lot of hot air bubble headed morons on Fox. Try listening to Pacifica, I dare you. However, I have to tell you, people with attention spans of 8 year olds won't get it.
BTW, Colbert and Olberman's ratings are flying through the roof, you better watch out, your argument is starting to bite you in the butt. the 'fairness doctrine 'served a purpose once but with some many news media these days, everyone has a venue and can be heard.
talk radio and cable, papers etc, are market driven and that is what should determines the success or failure. that is the most fair solution there is. example..air America..millions of dollars were thrown at the ppl there and it failed miserably. there are many reports that confirm that most of the print media and regular tv is liberally biased. I agree. What I don't understand is the people who are for this & are willing to allow the government to poke it's nose where it doesn't belong. |
