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WASHINGTON-As the National Religious Broadcasters convened today in Nashville, an ominous shroud cast by political chatter about the reimposition of the so-called "Fairness Doctrine" in the nation's capital hung over the gathering.NRB President Frank Wright(picture left) said he sees the move as a credible threat under a Democrat-dominated Congress and with President Obama in the White House."And we have a personal concern," Wright told Broadcasting & Cable."The only radio station that ever lost its license under the fairness doctrine regime was a Christian radio station in Red Lion, Pa. We are only responding now to the statements the Democrats themselves are making." Representing 1,400 organizations, including large ministries and TV and radio stations, NRB said it is "girding itself for a major battle over broadcasting freedoms," and was prepared to go to court, lobby Congress, or take its message to the public."We have talked before about many of these issues, but now, with the shift in the political landscape, I think these same things have a much higher probability of being enacted or at least having legislation and hearings and debates, and on the regulation side at the FCC," said Wright.He said the new political climate doesn't just threaten broadcasters, but even churches that have no broadcast outlet."The fairness doctrine has a tremendous potential for constraining free speech, but hate crimes (legislation) has the potential of criminalizing it," he said."In the short run, the fairness doctrine has the immediate threat of being applied to Christian broadcasters and to the church in a very deleterious way. Hate crimes legislation, if that is enacted, will evolve over time and bleed over into speech and have a negative effect, but not right away. The fairness doctrine will have a negative impact the day it is implemented."He said he expects religious broadcasters, largely Christian, to be particularly hard hit because of the doctrine's requirement for so-called "balance." If an opposing view must be found for every matter of controversy, Christian broadcasters could find themselves in the unenviable and untenable position of seeking out other religious viewpoints – Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist or atheist – to counter what ministers of the Gospel say on the air."I have had a number of conversations with NRB members who operated under the old 'Fairness Doctrine' regime," he said. "What happens is there is a chilling of free speech because the license-holder tends to take off the air the programmer whose content is deemed to be controversial."This weekend's meeting will offer up ideas about fighting back the prospects of government-controlled speech on the airwaves."I don't want to tip our hands on strategy except to say that if the approach taken by the administration is an FCC approach, we believe we can bring enough pressure to bear on the commission at the point of enactment to bring enough heat to get them to see the light, so to speak," he said. "I don't think we can stop it in the House or Senate."Just last week another Democratic U.S. senator went on record as supporting the reinstatement of the so-called "Fairness Doctrine," adding, "I feel like that's gonna happen..."To read more go to:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=88311
As in the days of Noah...
