DescentBB

It seems the Obama administration is wanting to send FCC agents into news rooms across the country and "investigate" how stories are written and WHY they are chosen for print.

White House to sniff out newsrooms: ‘Troubling and dangerous development’

The Obama administration is pushing forward with a Federal Communications Commission project that would send government researchers into newsrooms across the country — and First Amendment advocates want to know why.
The touted purpose of the plan is to “identify and understand the critical information needs of the American public, with special emphasis on vulnerable-disadvantaged populations,” the FCC said, Fox News reported.
But at least one FCC commissioner, Ajit Pai, wrote an op-ed piece for the Wall Street Journal that suggested the notion was more aimed at giving government entities the ability to “grill reporters, editors and station owners about how they decide which stories to run.” ...

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/201 ... -and-dang/

more paranoia....lemme guess, the FCC commissioner was a GOP appointee?

Ajit Pai was nominated to the Federal Communications Commission by President Barack Obama and on May 7, 2012 was confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate. On May 14, 2012, he was sworn in for a term that concludes on June 30, 2016

Also the other four commissioners were appointed by President Obama.

http://www.fcc.gov/leadership

That kind of stuff is a cause of concern for everybody. Bunch of Jacobin's at the helm, when really the authority is supposed to be spread around. Information should be pure and unadulterated.

flip wrote:Information should be pure and unadulterated.

Yes- you would hope so.

Of course it's almost always biased by an agenda (left or right- mostly left)- however, having the government put it's big fat thumb on the balance of news is something you'd expect only in a tyranny or dictatorship.

Guess the 1st Amendment is just as endangered as the 2nd under the Obama "presidency."

Edit: OH! And the 4th Amendment (with what the NSA has been revealed to be doing.)

I understand and agree with the concern that the administration is looking to intimidate the producers of content.

But what jumps out at me is the alleged 'excuse' they are using to gain entrance to the news rooms. It is a bit of a lame excuse that would be greeted with a question of 'Are you sure you are in the right place?!?'

"The touted purpose of the plan is to “identify and understand the critical information needs of the American public, with special emphasis on vulnerable-disadvantaged populations,”

Equally odd announcements would be;

'To identify and understand the nutrition needs of children we are going to send government licensing regulators into food processing factories'.

'To identify and understand the transportation needs of people we are going to send government licensing regulators into the automotive industrys design rooms.'

'To identify and understand the citizens right to privacy we are going to send NSA agents out to secretly record their conversations.'

Honestly, I have to seriously start questioning the heart and motives of anyone who would think otherwise. It's common knowledge that the first step to brainwashing is the control of information. Our 'enlightened' forefathers, having dealt with the superstitious, ignorant and dangerously illiterate made that first and foremost.

It's not like Fox news et al already do the exact same thing stated in the story or anything..

It is different though, because if the above article is true, instead of the crap we have to sift through now to find the truth. we will only be given one 'truth.'

callmeslick wrote:more paranoia....lemme guess, the FCC commissioner was a GOP appointee?

Heretic wrote:Ajit Pai was nominated to the Federal Communications Commission by President Barack Obama and on May 7, 2012 was confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate. On May 14, 2012, he was sworn in for a term that concludes on June 30, 2016

Also the other four commissioners were appointed by President Obama.

http://www.fcc.gov/leadership

Your attempt, slick, to carry the banner for the socialist regime in power, to try and deflect, hoping we are all as ignorant and blind as you, is appalling.

Ferno wrote:It's not like Fox news et al already do the exact same thing stated in the story or anything..

Fox News is going into other stations news rooms to shape the news? I now feel enlightened.

WAIT.....

We have Democrats trying to control what is reported by attempting to re-introduce the "Fairness and Accountability in Broadcasting Act"

We have a White house that attempted to ban Fox news from the press corps.

We have the White house and Democrats vocally attacking Fox news

We have a Government that tapped the phone of a Fox news reporter.

We have a Government that spied on the AP

Now we have a Government that wants to put people into the news rooms to "gather" information on how the news is reported. And the questioning Government agency happens to be the same one that issues licensing for those news outlets

YA this is innocent SURE.

DickinsonForCongress @VoteMike2014
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Fox News does nothing but tell lies and mistruths. They have unqualified political analysts. We need FCC to monitor and regulate them.
6:47 PM - 17 Feb 2014

HRM

woodchip wrote:Fox News is going into other stations news rooms to shape the news? I now feel enlightened.

they may not be going into other news rooms, but they already twist the story to suit their demographic.

Ferno wrote:

woodchip wrote:Fox News is going into other stations news rooms to shape the news? I now feel enlightened.

they may not be going into other news rooms, but they already twist the story to suit their demographic.

As does CNN and MSNBC. And aren't you doing the exact same thing by saying, "It's not like Fox news et al already do the exact same thing stated in the story or anything.."

It's beyond me how some people can't differentiate between a lack of journalistic integrity and coercion

woodchip wrote: As does CNN and MSNBC. And aren't you doing the exact same thing by saying, "It's not like Fox news et al already do the exact same thing stated in the story or anything.."

This is why I don't talk to you much. you take what is obviously an observation laden in irony and use it to point the finger at others.

It's like I'm dealing with a child who keeps claiming that it's the other persons' fault.

It's called the 'no, you are' defense, and yes, Fermo, it's pretty common and pretty lame all at once.

The most important content the news media can provide to the citizens is anything the government is doing wrong.
The government has by far the most power to wreck our lives. So to have the government have any oversight on content based on arbitrary and vague standards that aren't even defined is asking for trouble.
It is completely contrary to the top of the list of things the founders felt so important they had to specify them in the Bill of Rights!

To try and equate this attempt with news media being able to decide their own content priorities is a completely ridiculous argument.

Will Robinson wrote:The most important content the news media can provide to the citizens is anything the government is doing wrong.

if done accurately, sure. But, at Fox, for instance, they simply make stuff up. Further, that fact has been long proven. Now, IMHO, they have a perfect right to broadcast the completely biased fiction they choose to do.

Since I'm still unclear on exactly WHAT is actually happening here vis a vis the administration, I'll withold my guesswork.