Obama’s News Police Threat: Promote Liberal Agenda or Lose License

Posted on 20 February, 2014 by Rick Wells

Radio and Television listeners and viewers state their preference by selecting particular numbered buttons on their remote controls and dials. In theory, providers of popular content will be rewarded with increased audience size and the associated rankings will determine advertising revenue, profitability, format and longevity.
That all works until an intrusive federal government steps in, then a “free” press increasingly will experience pressure to meet government criteria. That is the threshold we will cross this Spring when government monitors will descend upon the media in what is somehow being portrayed as a legitimate “fact finding” endeavor to determine the influences behind what stories are covered and to what degree.
The program is called the “Multi-Market Study of Critical Information Needs” (CIN), a Federal Communications Commission initiative which was decided upon last May. The CIN will involve the placement of government snoops into newsrooms to observe and document what takes place.
Not only will they be “passively” observing, they will also be conducting interrogations. Reporters, editors and station owners will be grilled about their methods for determining what stories are run. The first test run of this “press police” program will take place in Columbia, S.C.
The whistleblower in this case is the FCC Chairman himself, Ajit Pai. While chairman of the FCC, it is clear from his comments that he is no fan of this intrusion into what is supposed to be our Constitutionally guaranteed free press. He describes the information gathered to be related to

• The process by which stories are selected
• How often stations cover “critical information needs”
• Perceived station bias
• Perceived responsiveness to underserved populations

This looks like the foundation for required programming along the lines of what used to previously exist in am talk radio and what we now fund in the hugely unpopular liberal outlet NPR.
Just from the four points, there are glaring opportunities to inject subjective programming controls from the central controlling authority such as their determination of what is a “critical information need” a need to counter “perceived station bias” and “underserved populations” through programming mandates. With this information and the proper government influence, can the documentary “Heartbreak of a Gay Native American Liberal Rodeo Clown” be far away?
Mr. Pai details the methods which will be used to scrape together this information. They involve the use of eight categories of “critical information” such as the “environment” and “economic opportunities, which the overlords at the FCC will determine need to be serviced by the station.
According to Mr. Pai, station managers, news directors, journalists, television anchors and on-air reporters will all be required “to tell the government about their ‘news philosophy’ and how the station ensures that the community gets critical information.”
The predetermined questions also include on for reporters of, “Have you ever suggested coverage of what you consider a story with critical information for your customers that was rejected by management?”
Having that can of worms successfully opened, follow-up questions will seek specifics regarding editorial discretion and the rationale behind the decisions.
Supposedly the participation is voluntary, but records will be kept and licenses to operate must be obtained from the FCC every eight years. There is an implied threat of consequences for uncooperative newsrooms.
This new approach is similar to the former misleadingly numbered “fairness doctrine” which resulted in stations not running controversial or popular points of view due to requirements to equally run opposing views which would result in lost audience. Basically, for every Rush Limbaugh there had to be an Ed Schultz show. The stations would go out of business and it effectively eliminated conservative programming.
It is being presented as just a fact-finding mission. The results will be gathered into report form and presented to Congress, with a recommendation on how to insert themselves into the communications market place by eliminating barriers to entrepreneurs and small businesses. Of course, they won’t be just any entrepreneurs or small businesses, they will be liberals and others in line with the liberal line of thought. That sector cannot survive on its own and will undoubtedly be presented as the solution for the bias they will purposely find existing within the ranks of their kindred spirits.
Mr. Pai makes to very interesting observations regarding the Congressional reports. He asks, “How can the news judgments made by editors and station managers impede small businesses from entering the broadcast industry? And why does the CIN study include newspapers when the FCC has no authority to regulate print media?”
As is the case in so many areas of government, we are following in the footsteps towards a socialist or fascist ministry of information. Keeping in mind the type of regime in power in America, perhaps something along the lines of “Baghdad Bob” is in the offing.
Rick Wells is a conservative Constitutionalist author who contributes to conservative media outlets. “Like” him on Facebook and “Follow” him on Twitter.