Fair?

[libertango]

George Orwell defines "doublethink" as:

"The power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them... To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just so long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective reality and all the while to take account of the reality which one denies..."

So, consider these two ideas:

* The press is dominated by liberal voices.

* Any reintroduction of the Fairness Doctrine will result in fewer conservative voices in the press.

Huh?

If one believes the first, then the Fairness Doctrine will increase conservative voices. If one believes the second, then the press isn't as liberal as is widely ascribed.

Doublethink indeed.

Comments

[jrittenhouse.livejournal.com]

Double plus ungood.

Really.

[jonathankorman.livejournal.com]

The argument goes like this:

“Objective” news reporting is done by liberal reporters who insert liberal bias into their reportage. Thus the mainstream media leans left as a whole. Plus, because the general population of the country is itself fundamentally conservative in orientation, a figure like David Brooks is really a centrist, but would be miscounted as a “conservative” by the Fairness Doctrine as advocated by the left.

Mind you, this argument is a load of horse puckey, but there it is.

[hal-obrien.livejournal.com]

"...a figure like David Brooks is really a centrist..."

No, the Queen of Sheba is not an ideological figure. He's a narcissist, first and foremost. After that, he's a comic novelist (and I frequently refile his titles accordingly in bookstores).

That factual point aside, the argument, near as I can make it out is, this is really aimed at radio, where "conservative" voices dominate (that many people don't realize Colbert is simply cribbing Limbaugh and O'Reilly's gig, and they're all doing reductio caricatures of Republicans, is only more evidence that satire is dead). So any bill would be aimed solely at radio, because Those Liberals would never allow TV and newspapers to get the Republican voices they so desperately need.

As usual, this becomes a Republican whine-fest: "They're picking on us."

[shikzoid.livejournal.com]

This is one of the things that have been so hard about following politics for the last 28 years.

A) they believe the majority of Americans are conservative, politically and theologically. B) they behave as if they're a persecuted minority.

* sound of forehead striking desk repeatedly *

[hal-obrien.livejournal.com]

Speaking of doublethink. But yes.