Al Sharpton For FCC Chairman
By Cliff Kincaid
April 12, 2007
Now we know the real agenda. The civil rights agitators like Al Sharpton are exploiting the Don Imus controversy in order to increase the power of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over what is said on television and radio. You will notice in his various utterances that Sharpton explicitly refers to the FCC having the "regulations" and power to do its job. He talks about the need for a "regulatory policy" from the FCC. This opens the door for re-imposition of the federal Fairness Doctrine, the subject of a new report released by Accuracy in Media. (web site) Sharpton's rhetoric in the Imus affair was as predictable as night follows day.
It's no secret that the liberal-left loves federal power. And we know, based on what occurred at the recent "progressive" conference on "media reform," which featured Jesse Jackson and Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders, that they want to bring back the Fairness Doctrine in order to force conservative programs to grant them more air time. But it wasn't exactly clear how they intended to bring this about. Now, with the Imus controversy, we know.
The effort, as Sharpton has indicated, will include codes of conduct, promulgated by the FCC, regarding what can and cannot be said on the public airwaves. Offenders will be punished with fines or revoked licenses. On CNN with Wolf Blitzer, Sharpton declared: (web site)
"What we're talking about is public policy. There's no way the airwaves should be used to allow people to call people 'nappy-headed hos.' That's what he called these people. And for him to say that and to just walk away like, 'I'm just sorry, I made a mistake,' would then mean that the FCC, who regulates everything on the airwaves and who sanctioned...Janet Jackson with a wardrobe malfunction, has no purpose at all."
So the FCC's ability under the law to fine CBS for Janet Jackson exposing her breast on television during the Super Bowl should translate into the ability to fine and punish Don Imus¯and others like him¯for what they say on the air. Sharpton declared that "the real question is whether the FCC is sincere about having regulations that operate the same for everyone." He also said, "This is about accountability and a standard on the airwaves."
Forget about Sharpton's complete lack of credibility on racial and other matters. He is making a point that will strike a chord with many people. And when you have a case like that of Imus, who used a national TV and radio show to insult some female student athletes by making fun of their race, gender and physical appearances, you have the potential ingredients for congressional hearings by a Democratic congress into what should be regulated in the media. After all, here you have a national radio host, courtesy of GE and CBS, attacking a group of people who were in no position to respond. The Rutgers team didn't have a radio or TV show. They have subsequently gotten a national platform because of the coverage of the incident, but they didn't have one in the beginning. That is the rationale, as Sharpton sees it, for the federal government to intervene and give them a platform.
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