I hope you didn't miss Lou Dobbs on Monday night speaking on fairness in the media. It provided a revealing look at what we've come to consider "free speech" in the United States: whoever can afford it. Dobbs was commenting on a "move to reimpose a so-called 'fairness doctrine'...to create balance in broadcasting."
Dobbs stated:
Michael Cops, the FCC Commission chairman, said if markets cannot produce what society really cares about, like a media that reflects the true diversity and spirit of our country, then government has a legitimate role to play.
Dobbs tossed a softball to conservative author and talk show programmer Brian Jennings, asking if Cops was making a "call for government takeover of media."
"It sure sounds it to me," Jennings replied.
Dobbs concurred with a sarcastic: "Government knows best, you know."
This "interview" followed a segment in which Dobbs nearly kissed the feet of General Motors CFO Raymond Young.
Dobbs ended yet another softball interview with this sarcastic cheap shot at Obama:
I think it's the right decision for General Motors to tell President Obama and his, as he puts it, 'auto task force,' it's time to straighten out business practices that permit multinationals to take advantage of the world's richest consumer market and to displace American workers. It's time for people to do a little better thinking than that in Washington, D.C.
But wait! Why is it the responsibility of the U.S. government to step in and make sure multinationals don't take advantage of consumers and displace American workers, when it's absolutely fine for the same government to sit back while the mass media is taken over by ultra-right fat cats who would fire hundreds of people to pay a despicable human being like Rush Limbaugh hundreds of millions of dollars to spew hatred over the public airwaves?
Dobbs called FCC concern for fairness arrogance "beyond imagination."
Isn't the real arrogance trying to cut off debate on this topic at the knees?
Referring to Nancy Pelosi as "this woman," Jennings, and Dobbs directed the blame for even looking at the lack of media balance squarely at her.
And what does the supposedly middle-leaning Dobbs say about this? "And the idea that liberals would be talking about the fairness doctrine, there's nothing very liberal about the idea to be mandating content."
It's a big step from "talking about fairness" to "mandating content," Mr. Dobbs.
Jennings replied in a pathetic attempt at patriotic poetry: "This is not a conservative versus a liberal fight. This is an American freedom. This is an absolute cherished freedom that we have. And if we give up any of this, any of this, all other freedoms matter none."
Wow. Share a little radio time to another view and "all other freedoms matter none." Now that's deep -- and twisted.
Dr. Reardon also blogs at bardscove.