The Leftist's Attack On Free Speech:

Censorship Disguised as Fairness

By Paul Weyrich

I am worried.

This is not my usual state of mind, but so many signs point to trouble. There are various things of concern, such as the immigration bill, and more obscure issues, such as the Trans-North American Highway, which may have the effect of giving up our sovereignty.

I am worried about what is happening to talk-radio in this country. Hopefully it does not resemble Hugo Chavez's actions in Venezuela. If you report anything against his regime you are shut down.

The assault against talk-radio here is not quite as drastic as that of the Chavez assault. It could have the same effect. There was no talk-radio as we know it today until the Ronald W. Reagan administration. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) repealed the so-called Fairness Doctrine.

The reason stations did not have much talk-radio was because of the Doctrine. For instance, if I appeared on a radio program and expressed strong views on a topic, someone of a different point of view could appear at the station and time would have to be made available. In fact, if there were six different points of view time would need to be made available to all of them.

The left does not like the fact that conservatives dominate talk-radio. It is no coincidence that Rush Limbaugh, king of talk-radio, began syndication in 1988. It is likely that an attempt will be made to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine this fall or winter.

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http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/6/26/95419.shtml