Key Vote “Yes” on the DeMint ‘Fairness Doctrine’ Amendment to S. 160
On behalf of hundreds of thousands of FreedomWorks members nationwide, I urge you to VOTE “YES” on Senator Jim DeMint’s (R, SC) Fairness Doctrine Amendment to S. 160, the D.C. Voting Rights Bill. This amendment would prevent the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from imposing the so-called Fairness Doctrine on broadcasters. It is based off of The Broadcaster Freedom Act (S. 34); legislation previously offered by Senator DeMint and carrying 29 cosponsors.
Senator DeMint’s Fairness Doctrine Amendment to S. 160 would strike a blow to those seeking to impose censorship on America’s airwaves. While the Fairness Doctrine was conceived and put in place in 1949 by policymakers who sought to mandate a better balance of different viewpoints on both radio and television, the effect of the regulation actually constrained coverage of important issues. Broadcasters were wary of controversial topics that might run afoul of the regulation and decided to avoid them entirely. Fortunately, the Fairness Doctrine was repealed in 1985, but recently many on the liberal Left have demanded its return.
Vote “YES” on the DeMint Fairness Doctrine Amendment and stop efforts to reinstate the dreaded Fairness Doctrine. Consumers ultimately dictate what broadcast content looks like as they either tune in or tune out programming. The American people are perfectly capable of making these decisions on their own. They don’t need government to step in and make it for them.
We will count your vote on Senator DeMint’s Fairness Doctrine Amendment to S. 160 as a KEY VOTE when calculating the FreedomWorks Economic Freedom Scorecard for 2009. The FreedomWorks Economic Freedom Scorecard is used to determine eligibility for the Jefferson Award, which recognizes members of Congress with voting records that support economic freedom.
Sincerely,
Matt Kibbe
President and CEO
FreedomWorks.org
