After being pressed by Republican lawmakers on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Chairman Tom Wheeler said in a Feb. 14 letter that his agency “has no intention of regulating political or other speech of journalists or broadcasters” through this study.
…and the Affordable Care Act has gone exactly as they said it would.
…and the IRS only made boneheaded mistakes that just happened to target conservatives. Honest mistake and not a “smidgen” of corruption. That’s why Lois Lerner invoked the 5th amendment right not to be compelled to be a witness against herself.
The FCC also wants to wade into office politics. One question for reporters is: “Have you ever suggested coverage of what you consider a story with critical information for your customers that was rejected by management?” Follow-up questions ask for specifics about how editorial discretion is exercised, as well as the reasoning behind the decisions.
The FCC’s queries may be hard for the broadcasters to ignore. They would be out of business without an FCC license.
The courts have rightfully struck down the Fairness Doctrine, and any attempt to revive it, through study or any other means, should not be attempted by the FCC or any other government agency.
Anyone who thinks numerous factions in the federal government have no designs on controlling the flow of information available to the public is a fool.
[quote]cwill1973 wrote:
Anyone who thinks numerous factions in the federal government have no designs on controlling the flow of information available to the public is a fool.[/quote]
The Federal Communications Commission announced Friday that it was putting on hold a controversial study of American newsrooms, after complaints from Republican lawmakers and media groups that the project was too intrusive.
FCC spokeswoman Shannon Gilson said Chairman Tom Wheeler agreed with critics that some of the study’s proposed questions for reporters and news directors “overstepped the bounds of what is required.”
The agency announced that a proposed pilot study in South Carolina will now be shelved, at least until a “new study design” is finalized. But the agency made clear that this and any future studies will not involve interviews with “media owners, news directors or reporters.”
Commissioner Ajit Pai, who was one of the staunchest critics of the proposal, heralded the decision Friday as an acknowledgement that government-backed researchers would not be dispatched into newsrooms, as feared.
