Let me state right upfront: I don't want the Fairness Doctrine reinstated. I think it infringes upon free speech. While the abolition of the Doctrine paved the way for "all conserva-talk, all the time" radio formats on multiple frequencies, and for a $400 million payday for one Rush Limbaugh, I still think reinstating it would be a bad idea.
What I would be in favor of, is content advisories. We have them on music, movies, video games, TV shows. . .heck, we even have them on food, drink and smokes. Why not radio and cable news?
For Rush Limbaugh: The following is an entertainment program, from a partisan perspective. The views expressed in this program are not those of this radio station, and do not constitute "news." They are also not necessarily true. Listeners are encouraged to seek out multiple sources before concluding that the content in this program is true.
And that's a very gentle disclaimer for a program such as Rush's, which disseminates false information as a matter of course. But the disclaimer may not need to even be that lengthy. There should just be a clear distinction between news and opinion. Right now there isn't.
And if that means that Countdown with Keith Olbermann gets a disclaimer, so be it. Perhaps it would get a "N-PC" or "news with political commentary" label. Hannity and Colmes, while ostensibly balanced, would get a "PC-n" or "political commentary with a little news" or something.
[Excerpt]
My "Barack and Rush" blog created a relative storm of comments and disagreements on the issue of reinstating the Fairness Doctrine. In that blog I wrote that Sen. Obama does not support reinstating it and that Rush Limbaugh would help Obama by criticizing John McCain. . .
