Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Fairness doctrine cartoon
Bullwinkle Blog recently posted a great cartoon regarding the Fairness Doctrine. Check it out here.
Freedom of speech prevails
Roll Call highlighted the Pence victory on campaign finance reform. Read the article here. (subscription required)
Monday, July 30, 2007
Pence campaign finance amendment detailed by BNA
The Bureau of National Affairs (BNA) today detailed the House vote on Friday that passed the Pence campaign finance amendment to the DJS Bill. Below are some excerpts. You can link to BNA here (subscription needed).
“In a move that caught reformers off guard, the House voted 215-205 late July 26 to block criminal enforcement of provisions of the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act barring direct corporate and union funding of certain political advertising in the weeks before an election.
The House backed an amendment offered by Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) to an appropriations bill (H.R. 3093) funding the Departments of Commerce and Justice and science-related agencies. The bill was passed by the House and sent to the Senate, where the fate of the Pence provision is unknown.
In arguing for his amendment on the House floor, Pence cited the Supreme Court's June decision in FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life Inc. (WRTL), which held that ads the Wisconsin antiabortion group wanted to sponsor in 2004, during Feingold's reelection campaign, calling on him to oppose judicial filibusters, were protected by the First Amendment. Pence said that the WRTL case was "a huge victory for the First Amendment because it's a major step in restoring the free speech rights to grass-roots lobbying organizations, left, right, and center." He added: "Those of us who hailed this ruling and welcomed it as a first step toward the reversal of McCain-Feingold were encouraged, but we knew this was not the end of the story."
"Honda to be at Job Fair"
The Muncie Star Press reported on the upcoming Job Fair at Worthen Arena. Honda will be one of 85 employers at the August 7th event. Read the full article here.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Farm Bill provision could cost Indiana 500 jobs
Congressman Pence voted against the Farm Bill approved by the U.S. House today because it would cost Indiana 500 jobs. See the latest stories on this issue below;
Channel 13 WTHR - House approves farm bill with provision threatening FSSA deal
Journal & Courier - Congress approves farm bill with provision threatening FSSA deal
Anderson Herald Bulletin - Farm bill that threatens Daleville plant passes House
Muncie Star Press - IBM jobs threatened by farm bill, Pence says
Muncie Star Press (editorial) - IBM pushing ahead; local officials looking to fight
Fairness Doctrine Rejected by Chairman
The Washington Times reported on the FCC Chairman’s statement that there is no “compelling reason to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine.” Read the article here.
Another Pence amendment victory
The Associated Press reported on the victory in the House yesterday for the Pence amendment dealing with campaign finance reform. Read the story here.
Media responds to FCC letters
Randy Hall of CNS News writes about FCC Chairman Martin’s letter to Congressman Pence regarding the Fairness Doctrine here.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
FCC chairman opposes reinstitution of fairness doctrine
Jim Abrams of the Associated Press broke the story this morning about Federal Communications Chairman Kevin Martin’s letter to Congressman Pence regarding the Fairness Doctrine. Read the story here.
Newsbusters blogged about the issue here.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Vote on Media Shield Law Delayed
The San-Antonio Express News ran an article in today’s paper about the Media Shield bill that Congressman Pence recently introduced. To read the full article, click here.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Pence Applauded for Planned Parenthood Amendment
Focus on the Family recently thanked Congressman Pence for his amendment to restrict federal taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood. Read the full article here.
Friday, July 20, 2007
CQ Today Calls Pence Amendment Banning Planned Parenthood Funding "Biggest Fight Over Abortion Since Democrats Took Over Congress"
CQ Today published an article today entitled "Abortion Debate Still Finds a Way into House Action on Spending measure" Click here to access the article (subscription needed). Here is an excerpt from the article:
“Mike Pence, R-Ind., offered an amendment to prohibit Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the country, from receiving any of the bill’s family planning money. It was a measure, [David] Obey said, “that in essence upsets the apple cart.”
And it provoked the sort of passion Obey had worked to circumvent. […] The dispute was one of the biggest fights over abortion since Democrats took over the 110th Congress.”
Two Fairness Doctrine Updates
1. The Washington Times reports today that Senate Democrats blocked an attempt to pass the Broadcast Freedom Act. Below are excerpts. You can access the full story here.
You can access the roll call vote here.
Senate Democrats last night beat back a Republican attempt to attach an anti-Fairness Doctrine bill as an amendment to education legislation.
The doctrine, a former requirement that broadcasters present opposing points of view on political issues, was scrapped in 1987 by the Federal Communications Commission, which said the policy restricted journalistic freedom. The bill by Sen. Norm Coleman, Minnesota Republican, would prevent the FCC from reinstating the doctrine.
"We live in an age of satellite radio, of broadband, of blogs, of Internet, of cable TV, of broadcast TV. There is no limitation on the ability of anyone from any political persuasion to get their ideas set forth," Mr. Coleman argued in support of the Broadcaster Freedom Act of 2007. "The public in the end will choose what to listen to."
By a vote of 49-48, senators voted not to consider Mr. Coleman's amendment after Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat, raised a point of order. Senate rules require 60 votes to waive a point of order.
An attempt by Mr. Coleman last week to attach his bill as an amendment to a defense authorization bill was similarly blocked by Sen. Richard J. Durbin, Illinois Democrat.
***
While the current Republican-led FCC poses no threat of reinstating the Fairness Doctrine, Republicans in both the House and Senate were quick to introduce bills that would prohibit a future Democrat-led agency from doing so. In the House, Rep. Mike Pence, Indiana Republican, has 135 co-sponsors of his version of the Broadcaster Freedom Act.
Mark S. Fowler, the former FCC chairman who led the charge to shelve the doctrine prior to its later repeal, said calls for its revival are "unacceptable."
Asked whether there is any viable chance of the policy being reinstated, Mr. Fowler told editors and reporters at The Washington Times yesterday: "I don't think so; I hope not."
"The electronic press that uses electrons and airwaves should be as free as the press that uses ink and paper, period," he said.
He asserted that lawmakers who say the doctrine is in the public interest are "politicians trying to control part of the press. To say the airwaves belong to the people — all these reasons they use to regulate are excuses. They're not reasons."
2. Recent columns on the Fairness Doctrine
--The Economist’s Lexington column: "Let the Blowhards Blow"
--Byron York: Why Rush Wins
--Victor Davis Hanson: All’s Fair in Love and Talk Radio
Pro-Lifers Support Pence Amendment
Congressman Pence introduced an amendment Thursday that would not allow any taxpayer funds to go to Planned Parenthood, the country’s number one provider of abortions. The Pence amendment was soundly supported by the pro-life community. LifeNews.com and ProLifeBlogs.com both published articles in support of the Pence amendment. Click on the links to read the articles.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Fairness Doctrine Cartoon
The Economist published a political cartoon in conjuction with a recent article entitled "Let the Blowhards Blow." To view the article and its cartoon, click here.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Fairness Doctrine Update
1. Think there isn’t any public support for bringing back the Fairness Doctrine? Think again! A Rasmussen Report released over the weekend shows 41% of the public is in favor of bringing back the Fairness Doctrine and 41% oppose.
From the report:
Americans are evenly divided as to whether or not the government should “require all radio and television stations to offer equal amounts of conservative and liberal political commentary.” The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 41% favor that proposal and 41% are opposed.
The concept, known as the “Fairness Doctrine” in legislative circles, has been gaining ground on Capitol Hill ever since public opposition forced the Senate to back down on the immigration issue.
View the full report here.
2. White House action on Fairness Doctrine
The White House took action Friday on the Fairness Doctrine. Byron York (author of National Review’s cover story on the same subject) reported Friday on The Corner blog that President Bush would veto any legislation reinstating the Fairness Doctrine. View his post here.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Richmond Makes Bid for 2008 Presidential Debate
Richmond will be one of seventeen cities vying to host a 2008 Presidential Debate, according to the Richmond Palladium-Item. Read the story here.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Fairness Doctrine Update
Here’s the latest Fairness Doctrine update for Friday:
Durbin objects to Coleman amendment that would prevent reinstitution of Fairness Doctrine
Earlier this week, Senators Coleman, DeMint and Thune introduced companion legislation in the U.S. Senate to the Broadcaster Freedom Act that Congressmen Pence and Walden introduced in the House. The bill would prevent the FCC from reinstituting the Fairness Doctrine.
This morning Senator Coleman attempted to offer the Broadcaster Freedom Act as an amendment to the Department of Defense Authorization bill being considered on the Senate Floor. He asked for unanimous consent to get the amendment pending and in the queue for a vote. The Democrats objected to his request. Following the objection, Senator Coleman offered some remarks highlighting his disappointment with the objection and the importance of his legislation, when Senator Durbin interrupted to ask him several questions. Their back and forth discussion went on for some time, and Durbin made it clear that he firmly supports reinstating the Fairness Doctrine despite Senator Coleman’s repeated explanations that such a measure impinges on Americans’ right to free speech. Read the transcript here.
National Review cover story by Byron York on Fairness Doctrine: “An Unfair Doctrine”
Below are excerpts from the cover story in the July 30 issue of National Review titled “An Unfair Doctrine.”
…Ask any radio veteran – not just the nation’s most successful talk-show host – and he’ll probably have a similar story about the bad old days of the Fairness Doctrine. From the earliest years of radio until 1987, when the Doctrine was repealed, the federal government rode hard on what broadcasters could and could not say about controversial issues. If a radio host took a strong position on the air, he might find himself under investigation by officials of the Federal Communications Commission, who would carefully examine his words to determine whether they passed government standards of fairness. If they didn’t, the government might require his station to offer free air time to people with other views, or it might punish the owners in a number of ways, including the revocation of their license to be on the air. The whole process was a blatant violation of First Amendment rights – what journalist or commentator today would stand for it? – but it was the way things worked in broadcasting for more than 50 years.
And now it might be coming back. After the Doctrine was repealed, there was an explosion of talk and information on the radio, and today the business is dominated by Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Bill Bennett, and a long list of other conservatives. Their commercial success, along with the failure of a number of liberal talk-radio ventures, has led some influential people in Washington to argue that the Fairness Doctrine should be revived.
“I have this old-fashioned attitude that when Americans hear both sides of the story, they’re in a better position to make a decision,” Illinois Democrat Richard Durbin, the number-two-ranking leader in the Senate, said recently. “It’s time to reinstitute the Fairness Doctrine.” John Kerry agreed, saying the Fairness Doctrine “ought to be there.” And Dianne Feinstein, chairman of the powerful Senate Rules Committee, said she is “looking” at reinstatement. “I think there ought to be an opportunity to present the other side,” she said. “Unfortunately, talk radio is overwhelmingly one-way.”…
…For nearly two decades, liberal activists have tried to counter the success of Limbaugh and the conservative hosts who followed him. First they tried to restore the Doctrine, beginning in 1993 with a bill dubbed “Hush Rush.” That effort died after Republican victories in 1994, so liberals turned to the marketplace, searching for a Rush of their own. For a while, they hoped that Jim Hightower, a former Texas state official with a small on-air following, might be the answer. When Hightower failed, they hoped that Mario Cuomo, the former New York governor, might fit the bill. When Cuomo failed, they came up with the idea of a liberal network, Air America, that would succeed where single hosts had not. But Air America ended up in bankruptcy, although it has recently undergone restructuring and is still at least nominally in business.
Now they’re back to the Fairness Doctrine. In October 2004, Media Matters for America, the liberal watchdog group funded by a number of the same donors who made spectacularly large contributions to Democratic 527 groups in the last few elections, announced a campaign to support New York Democratic representative Louise Slaughter’s bill to re-impose the Doctrine. “Tired of imbalanced political discourse on our airwaves?” Media Matters asked readers in a petition appeal. “By restoring a diversity of fact and opinion to programming, Fairness Doctrine legislation restores a concept [of balance] that has been lost since the 1980s.” The crusade was picked up by a number of “netroots” activists, and now Durbin, Feinstein, and Kerry are on board.
That last development “set off alarm bells,” says Indiana Republican representative Mike Pence. Pence, a former radio-talk-show host himself, was so concerned that in late June he and a colleague, Arizona Republican Jeff Flake, came up with the idea of attaching to an FCC-funding bill an amendment that barred the commission from using its funds to reinstate the Doctrine. The amendment passed the House, 309 to 115.
But it was just a one-year fix. Pence is also sponsoring the Broadcaster Freedom Act, which would permanently take way from the FCC the authority to re-impose the Fairness Doctrine. If it passes, the only way the Doctrine could come back would be by an act of Congress. “The American people need to know that a future Democrat president could appoint members to the FCC and issue executive orders that in combination could bring back the Fairness Doctrine without a single act of Congress,” Pence says. “Our bill, very simply put, deprives the FCC of that authority.”…
Congressman Pence appeared on the 700 Club this morning regarding the Fairness Doctrine. Click here to watch.
Star Press Opposes Fairness Doctrine
The Muncie Star Press ran an editorial today opposing reinstitution of the Fairness Doctrine. Read it here.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Fairness Doctrine update
USA Today has a great piece on the Fairness Doctrine today on the opinion page. Check it out here.
The Anderson Herald Bulletin, a big paper in Congressman Pence's district, has a great editorial today about why the Fairness Doctrine should not be reinstituted.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
NewsBusters reports on the Fairness Doctrine
NewsBusters says Congressman Pence is on a mission to prevent the Fairness Doctrine from being reinstituted. Read the story here.
Pence in the district
Congressman Pence spent the past few days touring his eastern Indiana district. Click here for a report from The Muncie Star Press and here for a report from The Columbus Republic. Also, News Link Indiana has a story here.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Richard Land discusses the Fairness Doctrine
Richard Land, of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, says the Fairness Doctrine is an attempt to silence conservative talk radio. Read it here.
Monday, July 09, 2007
Russell Shubin of Townhall writes that the Fairness Doctrine is misguided and Orwellian in nature
Congressman Pence is praised for his efforts by Russell Shubin for his introduction of the Broadcaster Freedom Act to protect the First Amendment against the Fairness Doctrine. Read it here.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Update on the Fairness Doctrine:
The Fairness Doctrine debate is a hot topic amid the media and the blogosphere and we have a few more updates today. America magazine says here that if the Fairness Doctrine is reinstated it would wipe away talk radio. Conservative activist Paul Weyrich says here that last week was an extraordinary week for conservatives because Congressman Pence’s amendment passed with many Democrats crossing over party lines to kill the Fairness Doctrine.
Conservative blogs like Slice of Laodicea write here that the Fairness Doctrine is a violation of Freedom of Speech and that the Broadcaster Freedom Act introduced by Congressman Pence is the right piece of legislation to stop the Fairness Doctrine from being implemented. Maggie’s Notebook, a conservative blog, writes here that Democrats will work in a concerted effort to bring back the Fairness Doctrine, but Congressman Pence’s Broadcaster Freedom Act will help to stop them.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Fairness Doctrine Update
Here is an update on the latest coverage of the Broadcaster Freedom Act that Congressman Pence introduced to combat the Fairness Doctrine: Talk radio giant Rush Limbaugh praised Congressman Pence and had this say about the Fairness Doctrine. CNS News reports here that last week’s vote on Congressman Pence’s amendment to disallow funds to be used by the FCC to reinstitute the Fairness Doctrine made an excellent week for conservatives, followed by a report by Citizen Link here encouraging the American people to support the Broadcaster Freedom Act by contacting their congressional representatives.
Not only have some liberal members of Congress joined conservatives to repeal the Fairness Doctrine The Hollywood Reporter says this, but also the First Amendment Center reports here that the Broadcaster Freedom Act will protect the rights of the First Amendment.
In Indiana, The Muncie Star Press says here that the final vote was 309-115 to prohibit funds from being used to bring back the Fairness Doctrine.
And, conservative bloggers have been in an uproar about the possible reintroduction of the Fairness Doctrine. Captain’s Quarters says here that the Fairness Doctrine is unfair and reports that Congressman Pence received bipartisan approval of his amendment that blocked funds from the FCC to reinstate the doctrine. The conservative blog Copious Dissent has more on the amendment vote here.
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