Conservative Student News

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Fair. What does it mean? If you look to Webster you will find something along the lines of, "free from bias, dishonesty, or injustice".

So it comes a bit ironically that the Fairness Doctrine is anything but free from bias, dishonesty, or injustice. The Fairness Doctrine was put into effect in 1949 by the Federal Communications Commission as a regulating tool. It required broadcasters to provide "balance" for any topic deemed "controversial" by the FCC. This balance was defined as equal airtime for opposing viewpoints. Any extra costs were at the stations own expense. If equal airtime was not provided the station was to be fined, and further, could forfeit its license. This law created a disincentive for broadcasters to air anything controversial. Hence, at the time, political discussion was absent from the media.

In 1987, under President Ronald Regan, Congress repealed the Fairness Doctrine, because it was stifling the Constitutional protection of freedom of speech. Talk radio exploded soon after the removal. The media is the only industry protected by our Constitution. Our Founding Fathers knowingly wanted the media to be free from laws. It is an important tool for the people to act as a watchdog on the U.S. government and by which they may communicate and share ideas.

Since 1987, Congress has unsuccessfully attempted to restore the doctrine on three separate occasions. With the looming 2008 election, Democrats are more determined then ever to restore the Fairness Doctrine. Media has proven that is plays an important role in political campaigns. Talk radio has proven to be a great voice for the conservative movement. Meanwhile, liberal talk radio stations have enjoyed little success, while mainstream media is overwhelmingly biased to the left.

Progressive talk radio is a bore. The left's radio hosts continually bad-mouth the right instead of engaging in intelligent discussion. The Patriot's Mike Savage had an extremely liberal guest on his show the other day. Savage ended the discussion by apologizing if his guest endured a rough experience on the show. The guest answered point blank; "No! This was a lot of fun! Progressive talk radio never invites their arch-enemies on their shows!" This anecdote explains the difference between conservatives and liberals: Intelligent discourse versus whining.

The Fairness Doctrine is another tactic used by big government supporters attempting to meddle in the private lives of Americans. It is not the role of the government to tell its citizens what to watch or listen to. We are mandated by law to wear our seatbelt while driving. We are told we must receive certain vaccines. We are not allowed to smoke in public areas. With lawmakers that feel it is their jurisdiction to make personal decisions for us "common folk", we will soon be ordered what to eat and when to go to bed. In fact, New York City has already passed a law mandating restaurants' use of saturated fats.

The government should never act as a parent to the people. Our free market will dictate what should or should not be on the air. A large majority of mass media is already liberal, yet conservatives have found their niche (talk radio) and liberals feel threatened. Fox News, Ann Coulter, and conservative organizations are continually picked on because they stand out against the grain!

There are currently over 50 smear campaigns against conservative radio hosts like Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, and Rush Limbaugh by Media Matters for America. Hillary Clinton continually denies any involvement, however when speaking at a convention in Chicago over the summer she boasted of "institutions that I helped to start and support like Media Matters".

The left's inability to deter the conservative movement's success on talk radio brings a definite fear to liberal politicians. In the spring of 2007 there were 257 news and talk radio stations. 91% of the programming was documented as conservative. There is over 10 times as much conservative talk time as progressive talk. Even one of the left's most revered hosts, Al Franken, finds trouble with talk radio. His "Air America" network was forced to file for bankruptcy in 2006 due to lack of listenership.

Liberal institutions blame this talk radio phenomenon on an unequal distribution of the media. The Center for American Progress and Free Press released this statement last summer: "Our conclusion is that the gap between conservative and progressive talk radio is the result of multiple structural problems in the U.S. regulatory system, particularly the complete breakdown of the public trustee concept of broadcast, the elimination of clear public interest requirements for broadcasting, and the relaxation of ownership rules including the requirement of local participation in management".

That sounds like envy to me. It is obvious that conservative radio receives the high ratings that liberal radio lacks. It is the law of the jungle, survival of the fittest. It is what occurs when our free market is at work. Instead of dishonestly trying to kill the careers of conservative radio hosts and benefit society by preventing them from hearing "the other side", perhaps a wiser course of action would be to work harder to promote their liberal philosophies. It is rather obvious that the elitist liberals fear the knowledge that conservative talk radio is imparting to its listeners.

There are over a dozen media organizations fighting back such as the Business and Media Institute, NewsBusters, and MRC Action Team. Congressman Mike Pence is introducing the Broadcaster Freedom Act to "prevent the FCC or any future president from reinstating the Fairness Doctrine. This legislation ensures true freedom and fairness will remain on our radio airwaves..."

I would encourage you, during this election season, to remember to be wary of everything you hear; find reliable news sources and support conservative talk radio!