Monday, September 18, 2006
Americans Must Demand that the FCC Enforce the Fairness Doctrine
As the next United States Senator from Florida, in addition to ensuring the swift passage of the FairTax legislation, I will also fight to make sure that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) enforce the Fairness Doctrine. The Fairness Doctrine ensures that broadcasters bring opposing points of view to their listeners. In doing so, the doctrine strikes an appropriate balance between the First Amendment interests and needs of broadcasters, and those of the listening public.
As an Independent candidate for the United States Senate, I have witnessed first hand the need for the Fairness Doctrine. For example, even though six candidates qualified to have their names on the ballot in Florida's general election for the United States Senate in 2006, the broadcast media has virtually ignored all of the candidates, except two. Thus, Ladies and Gentlemen, the broadcast media has effectively refused to present reasonable coverage of all sides of ballot issues. The big loser in this scenario is the public. Even though the public owns the airwaves, it is being deprived of information necessary to make informed decisions that effect our democracy.
Because of my background in mass communications, I have effectively overcome this unfair and illegal behavior by most of the broadcast media, but most candidates in my position are not able to do so.
However, one television station stands heads and shoulders above the rest, and that is the ABC affiliate (WFTS) in Tampa, Florida. WFTS has invited all of the candidates running for office in the Florida primary and general elections to come in for an interview to be broadcast locally. I call upon all broadcast media to follow the lead of WFTS and provide reasonable and fair covererage of all candidates for political office.
Also, I call upon them to provide balanced coverage of issues of public importance, such as the FairTax legislation that is currently before Congress. For the most part, there has been an utter failure to report on this important le3islation, even to the point of the Florida broadcast media refusing to report on the July, 2006, FairTax Rally that drew over 10,000 FairTax supporters to downtown Orlando, Florida.
Please contact the FCC and demand that the Fairness Doctrine be enforced now.
ON TO VICTORY!!!!
As an Independent candidate for the United States Senate, I have witnessed first hand the need for the Fairness Doctrine. For example, even though six candidates qualified to have their names on the ballot in Florida's general election for the United States Senate in 2006, the broadcast media has virtually ignored all of the candidates, except two. Thus, Ladies and Gentlemen, the broadcast media has effectively refused to present reasonable coverage of all sides of ballot issues. The big loser in this scenario is the public. Even though the public owns the airwaves, it is being deprived of information necessary to make informed decisions that effect our democracy.
Because of my background in mass communications, I have effectively overcome this unfair and illegal behavior by most of the broadcast media, but most candidates in my position are not able to do so.
However, one television station stands heads and shoulders above the rest, and that is the ABC affiliate (WFTS) in Tampa, Florida. WFTS has invited all of the candidates running for office in the Florida primary and general elections to come in for an interview to be broadcast locally. I call upon all broadcast media to follow the lead of WFTS and provide reasonable and fair covererage of all candidates for political office.
Also, I call upon them to provide balanced coverage of issues of public importance, such as the FairTax legislation that is currently before Congress. For the most part, there has been an utter failure to report on this important le3islation, even to the point of the Florida broadcast media refusing to report on the July, 2006, FairTax Rally that drew over 10,000 FairTax supporters to downtown Orlando, Florida.
Please contact the FCC and demand that the Fairness Doctrine be enforced now.
ON TO VICTORY!!!!
