Air America Founder: Rush Limbaugh Is Right

As we've been documenting, the latest paranoid delusion among media purveyors on the right is that a revival of the "Fairness Doctrine" -- a mid-20th century measure which enforced a balancing of viewpoints on the then-scarce resources of terrestrial radio -- was in the offing, despite the fact that such a revival lacks any tangible support from major lawmakers, media reform advocates, or President-elect Barack Obama himself. Despite this, the phantom of a resurgent "Fairness Doctrine" has persisted.

Hopefully, then, this news will be of comfort to "Fairness Doctrine" opponents: Jon Sinton, founding President of Air America radio, has weighed in on the matter, and guess what? He's against the "Fairness Doctrine" as well! In an editorial in the Wall Street Journal, Sinton sides with an ideological opponent to stake out his position against the measure:

As the founding president of Air America Radio, I believe that for the last eight years Rush Limbaugh and his ilk have been cheerleaders for everything wrong with our economic, foreign and domestic policies. But when it comes to the Fairness Doctrine, I couldn't agree with them more. The Fairness Doctrine is an anachronistic policy that, with the abundance of choices on radio today, is entirely unnecessary.

Sinton adds, "It never occurred to me to argue for reimposing the Fairness Doctrine. Instead, I sought to capitalize on the other side of a market the right already had built." Until some major stakeholder or policymaker of influence starts advocating for the "Fairness Doctrine," I'm going to continue to wonder why it has occurred to so many people that worry needs to be expended over it.

Comments

[lovethesinner]

Fainess Doctrine? Hell no. But, we need legislation to deal with media induced rage:

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/09122008/profile.html

The following books were found in Adkisson's home during a police search:

Liberalism is a Mental Disorder by radio talk show host Michael Savage

Let Freedom Ring: Winning the War of Liberty over Liberalism by talk show host Sean Hannity

The O'Reilly Factor: The Good, the Bad, and the Completely Ridiculous in American Life by television talk show host Bill O'Reilly

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Knoxville_Unitarian_Universalist_church_shooting

[williamina]

weird

[Paisano]

To bad... We want the Fairness Doctrine back... Tell the Fatbaughs and O'riely...to go to satellite radio...

[Querent]

It's the concept of fairness itself that the Republicans object to. They are never in favor of fairness, since they think it should be their "right" to have unfair advantages.

[AmericasWarrior]

And I've said before, since Rush and his ilk think that the media was in the so-called "tank" for Obama this year, why do they not want the fairness doctrine to come back?

They are the main ones that call for accountability, yet they dont want any on their parts. They simply think they are being punished for success.

[Marlyn]

success?

[AmericasWarrior]

Yeah,
Thats the word Laura "woody woodpecker" Ingraham uses. She really believes they are being punished for success.

[FairTalk]

When one has YouTube, who needs a fairness doctrine?

I believe that the Anti-CNN videos have had a major effect on both hate talk radio, and propaganda mascarading as news in mainstream media.

The age of citizen journalism has begun, and along with it focus on an obscure commandment..."Thou shalt not bare false witness."

Just think about what I am saying. How long did it take for the shoe heard around the world to be seen, discussed, and understood? By multiple cultures, individuals, and groups? Hate talk radio will, itself, now be subjected to the very market competition it champions.

[doublels]

We are getting to be a very small world & it's wonderful that citizens CAN be heard. I hope the righty talk shows just fade out of existance as you say.

[JohnDewey]

The problem that I see is that the internet content is becoming increasingly corporate-controlled. Websites are under increasing pressure to generate revenue and it won't be limited to advertising dollars forever.

YouTube is a good example of this. They're now owned by Google, which is, itself, a virtual monopoly in a number of internet areas. YouTube has been issuing stricter & stricter Community Guidelines, culminating in their most recent set which have set them on the course of censorship & bowdlerization of content. I'm not referring to copyright infringement, but to value judgments made on the part of Google executives. Last Friday there was actually a blackout of YouTube by many of their subscribers to protest what appears to be a capitulation to Joe Lieberman's demands that YouTube censor content.

I'm not convinced that the pre-Reagan Fairness Doctrine is the solution, but I do think that we need to keep fighting to maintain network neutrality, otherwise the internet will look an awful lot like television in very short work.

[Marlyn]

bear false witness

[williamina]

weird

[markinaz]

Left vs. right. Love vs. hate. It will always be easier to hate than to love. Hence, the success of Rush and his ilk.

[MajorKong]

I wasn't in favor of it, but since it scares the right wing so much maybe we should run with it. Anything that makes Bill O'Reilly lose sleep at night can't be all bad.

[rubberstamp]

HERE HERE

I hope the Dems use this as a threat to leverage other bills against.

[Nonpartay]

I never thought of that! :) You have a point there....

[lovable]

u dont need the fairness doctrine if these liars are exposed on national tv or cable.

i.e. hannity called media matters a smera site and did not give one example where they smear anyone. they just take ur own words and show where u are wrong. the presnt facts. but there is no one to correct hannity so he can say anything. but if a pundit were to mention it on national tv prove that hannity is lying or wrong and each time hannity does it he is exposed and ridiculed he will stop . u cant ignore a hannity or a limbaugh u must face them with the truth and call them out as liars. do it enough and it will stop . posting on blog site do nooooooooo good . if they are continually being exposed as liars on tv they will stop.

[jlab]

Your screen name is lovable. Have you considered changing it to un-friggin-readable? As you put it so cleverly: posting on blog site do nooooooooo good. If "u" write like that: No it do not.

[booksnmore4you]

A lot of the Netroots supports the return, Jason.

See http://digg.com/political_opinion/Limbaughs_Recession_Statement_Begs_for_Fairness_Doctrine and read the article and comments.

[mizerello]

Frankly, I think we should consider bringing the fairness doctrine back. We recently moved to a small town in rural Washington state from Portland, Oregon. Talk radio here is completely dominated by the lunatic right wing. Air America's stations in Seattle and Portland are sometimes audible, but rarely. The people in this community are inundated, not only by the garbage thrown out there by the Limbaughs and Hannitys but by local and regional idiots as well. During the campaign, the victimization of "poor, little Sarah Palin" was particularly disgusting. The problem is that they are winning in their campaign to move this country to the right. This is a Democratic state and this county is Democratic as well. However, when you look at numbers over the last 20 years, it's shifting to the right. Either more folks on the left need to start buying radio stations or, eventually we'll lose the fight. Air America is just the tip of the iceberg. We need more independent lefties to counter the lies.

[EricHayes]

The neocons are constantly prattling on about how progressives are dragging our country toward Socialism/Communism/whatever. Mr. Sinton's statement is yet another nail in their coffin. Capitalism (as opposed to avarice--the neocons have a hard time differentiating the two) is good for both the goose and the gander.