Fairness Doctrine Comeback?

A few quick observations on this poll that tellingly did not use the freighted term “fairness doctrine:” 1) For those of us who find the thought of a Fairness Doctrine comeback an obscenity, merely asserting that the notion of “public airwaves” has become an anachronism will fail to move the ball forward. Until talk radio shows it can wield the same influence without using the public airwaves, the argument over the equitable use of the public airwaves is an intellectually valid one. If, on the other hand, we’re able to transfer our success and influence to satellite radio, then a potential return of the Fairness Doctrine will cause no concern. 2) The easiest way out of this potential mess is if we could find some liberals who don’t stink at talk radio and can master all the aspects of the business, including the crucial yet decidedly unglamorous part of selling advertising. Gotta pay the bills, you know. Can’t we find one American liberal capable of true talk radio success? 3) Imagine what the numbers in a similar poll would look like if it were conducted in the wake of an Oklahoma City type tragedy that could be demagogued by cravenly opportunistic pols. (For those with short memories, Bill Clinton partly blamed the Oklahoma City bombing on talk radio engendered “extremism.” Even though his lips were moving, the telltale sign of a Clinton fabrication, many people believed him.) 4) Would our political class ever make such a frontal assault on free speech? The existence of a campaign finance reform bill that I will not name suggests we should be afraid – very afraid.