Media Bias & The Corporate Concentration

"There are 1,500 conservative radio talk-show hosts. You have Fox News. You have the Internet, where all the successful sites are conservative. The ability to reach people with our point of view is like nothing we have ever seen before."

- The late Republican activist Paul Weyrich speaking to advisers of former President Bush on the capabilities of the American media.

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist." - Verbal Kint in Bryan Singer's "The Usual Suspects"

In 1949 the Federal Communications Commission adopted what was known as the "Fairness Doctrine." Under the guidelines set forth in the doctrine broadcasters were viewed as "public trustees" with the responsibility of providing the equal exchange of ideas on particularly controversial topics of importance. Stations would be required to allow ample discussion for contrasting points of view, in such manner that the FCC could refuse a license renewal to stations found unbalanced.

A 1969 Supreme Court ruling upheld the importance of the Fairness Doctrine stating that without the doctrine, "station owners and a few networks would have unfettered power to make time available only to the highest bidders, to communicate only their own views on public issues, people and candidates, and to permit on the air only those with whom they agreed." In 1974 the FCC issued a report stating the Fairness Doctrine neither detracted from nor prevented the coverage of important public issues, but rather was "the single most important requirement of operation in the public interest - the sine qua non for grant of a renewal of license."

During Ronald Reagan's first year in office industry deregulation became the status quo. As a result media corporations were no longer limited to an ownership max of only seven stations. Under Reagan's newly appointed FCC chairman Mark Fowler, entities could now own up to twelve stations while guidelines surrounding the number of advertisements per hour were effectively eliminated. Fowler, an outspoken opponent of the Fairness Doctrine stated "the perception of broadcasters as community trustees should be replaced by a view of broadcasters as marketplace participants." In other words, allow the dollar have its day and truth be conveyed in other ways.

By a 2-1 verdict in 1986 (with Robert Bork and Antonin Scalia voting in favor), an appeals court stated the Fairness Doctrine to be "...FCC policy which the FCC can eliminate," and in 1987 the FCC thus determined in a unanimous decision the Fairness Doctrine was "contrary to the public interest" and was thereby eliminated.

In reaction to this ruling, Congress by as much as 3 to 1 in a measure of bipartisan support passed a bill to make the Fairness Doctrine law, thereby ensuring equal representation in reporting and broadcasting. Votes in favor of this bill Congressmen included Rep. Thomas Bliley (R-VA), Rep. Newt Gingrich, and Sen. Jesse Helms, . Ronald Reagan vetoed the bill.

Shortly after the FCC dropped the Fairness Doctrine, Rush Limbaugh began syndicating his 3-year old show and within a matter of weeks 56 stations had picked up the show syndicating to over 600 stations in four years. Limbaugh's program was the fastest spreading of any talk show in history. In light of Limbaugh's success others imitated his format effectively creating upward of 900 programs by 1993.

And in a further measure of deregulation, Bill Clinton in 1996 signed the Telecommunications Act allowing larger companies to own, once again, larger and larger portions of the airwaves. Though where the deregulation of the 80's applied primarily to radio, this act applied more specifically to television.

With larger corporations legally allowed to purchase and own an increasing number of stations, and the common knowledge that big business sides with Republicans/conservatives, it should come as no surprise that an overwhelming number of these newly created programs were of a right-leaning nature. Chief among them include Rush, Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, Oliver North, G. Gordon Liddy, Michael Savage, Michael Medved, Sean Hannity, Michael Reagan, Armstrong Williams, The Black Panther, and Dr. Laura Schlesinger.

I contend that Eric Alterman was correct when he stated "You're only as liberal as the guy who owns you." And the most brilliant maneuver the media owners have pulled is convincing the rest of us that the media is overtly liberal.