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At first I thought that this was a federal referendum about syndicating Jeopardy! on FOX. Bring back Mayim!!! In all seriousness, though, does FCC realize it i

At first I thought that this was a federal referendum about syndicating Jeopardy! on FOX. Bring back Mayim!!! In all seriousness, though, does FCC realize it is playing with fire here? If licensing stations begins to hinge on political content vs. partisan "fact check", then that may be a final, 9-inch nail in the coffin of free speech as we knew it. R.I.P.

Bud 3y ago
This isn't about anything political; it's not about Fox News. It's a local FOX affiliate, or at most, a few local FOX affiliates. Has nothing to do with Fox News. FOX affiliates aren't really political at all.
thsksbd 3y ago
Maybe that's the point?
- NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
  If government agencies are free to pursue and sanction political opponents, what's the end game on that? What if ICE had taken a real long, hard look at Obama's papers in 2008, and "deported" him to Kenya? Is this just one more tool in the box of a government of the people, for the people, and by the people?
  - thsksbd 3y ago
    No, its a tool of a corrupt power elite trying to quash dissent.
  - jfengel 3y ago
    The FCC's job is to ensure that the open airwaves aren't used for political propaganda. Even without the Fairness Doctrine, there are still limits on how deceptive they can be. A cable channel like Fox News is pretty much unrestricted, at least until they hit the point of libel. But the airwaves are a scarce resource, and it falls to the FCC to manage it on behalf of the public. The limits are not well defined, and the FCC believes that they are acting now only because they think those limits have been egregiously surpassed. It will almost certainly end up in court, and the courts will interpret the law to determine what the FCC's real powers are here. As for the ICE... if they had taken a long, hard look at Obama's papers in 2008 and concluded anything other than that he was an American citizen born in the United States, that would indeed be a problem. The difference here is that Obama was telling the truth, and that Fox News was telling a lie. If we've reached the point where there is no difference between those things, then we've got bigger problems than the FCC.
    - NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
      > The FCC's job is to ensure that the open airwaves aren't used for political propaganda. Huh, I thought it was exactly the opposite.
plorkyeran 3y ago
Stations used to have to abide by the fairness doctrine, so this is not exactly unprecedented new territory.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]

Bud 3y ago

This isn't about anything political; it's not about Fox News. It's a local FOX affiliate, or at most, a few local FOX affiliates. Has nothing to do with Fox News. FOX affiliates aren't really political at all.

thsksbd 3y ago

Maybe that's the point?

NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
If government agencies are free to pursue and sanction political opponents, what's the end game on that? What if ICE had taken a real long, hard look at Obama's papers in 2008, and "deported" him to Kenya? Is this just one more tool in the box of a government of the people, for the people, and by the people?
- thsksbd 3y ago
  No, its a tool of a corrupt power elite trying to quash dissent.
- jfengel 3y ago
  The FCC's job is to ensure that the open airwaves aren't used for political propaganda. Even without the Fairness Doctrine, there are still limits on how deceptive they can be. A cable channel like Fox News is pretty much unrestricted, at least until they hit the point of libel. But the airwaves are a scarce resource, and it falls to the FCC to manage it on behalf of the public. The limits are not well defined, and the FCC believes that they are acting now only because they think those limits have been egregiously surpassed. It will almost certainly end up in court, and the courts will interpret the law to determine what the FCC's real powers are here. As for the ICE... if they had taken a long, hard look at Obama's papers in 2008 and concluded anything other than that he was an American citizen born in the United States, that would indeed be a problem. The difference here is that Obama was telling the truth, and that Fox News was telling a lie. If we've reached the point where there is no difference between those things, then we've got bigger problems than the FCC.
  - NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
    > The FCC's job is to ensure that the open airwaves aren't used for political propaganda. Huh, I thought it was exactly the opposite.

plorkyeran 3y ago

Stations used to have to abide by the fairness doctrine, so this is not exactly unprecedented new territory.

deleted 3y ago
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