Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell pledges that attempts to revive the Fairness Doctrine by the liberals who decry talk radio's influence will not succeed.
Good.
The Fairness Doctrine would require radio programs to air a liberal perspective to counter conservative success on talk radio. Remember Air America, the liberal talk radio network? It failed miserably. And that's fine -- ideas should succeed or fail based upon the value they have in the marketplace of ideas that is essential to a free society. NPR is rolling right along, and any notion that it is fair, balanced, agenda-free and centrist is simply ludicrous.
Having government control and mandate content of radio programs is anathema to the First Amendment. The Fairness Doctrine is state favoritism toward one side's core political speech. Nothing fair about that.
UPDATE: Congressman Mike Pence raised the issue in the House by offering an amendment declaring that the FCC could NOT reinstate the Fairness Doctrine. The amendment passed 309-115, therefore the Fairness Doctrine is comatose once again. Good for Pence to bring this issue up and force 115 members of the House to reveal themselves as censors and speech regulators.
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