DeMint Tries to Prevent 'Fairness Doctrine' Revival
The South Carolina senator has attached his amendment, called the Broadcaster Freedom Act, to a bill to give the District of Columbia a voting representative in the House.

FOXNews.com

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Sen. Jim DeMint is pushing for an amendment Thursday to outlaw the so-called "Fairness Doctrine," in a move that could prove more symbolic than fruitful.

The South Carolina senator has attached his amendment, called the Broadcaster Freedom Act, to a bill to give the District of Columbia a voting representative in the House.

But Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin has also proposed an alternative bill to be debated at the same time. That proposal would order the Federal Communications Commission to encourage radio ownership "diversity."

A DeMint aide said Durbin's measure will "impose the Fairness Doctrine through the back door by trying to break up radio ownership."

The aide called the Durbin proposal "an attempt to break up companies like Clear Channel and hurt their syndications and therefore putting many local radio stations out of business that depend on those syndicated shows for revenue."

The media control doctrine is a policy created decades ago but abolished in the late 1980s that required broadcasters to provide opposing views on controversial issues.

Though President Obama remains opposed to any effort to renew it and the Federal Communications Commission claims it is not in any talks to revive the policy, a few Democrats have voiced strong support for the media control policy in recent weeks. Republicans like DeMint have drafted legislation to forestall any move to bring back the doctrine.

"We need to make it a law that the FCC or this Congress cannot implement any aspect of the Fairness Doctrine," DeMint said.

Though DeMint's measure stands a strong chance of ultimately failing, it could trigger a debate on the issue and coax senators to take a stand either for or against the policy.

FOX News' Trish Turner and Brian Wilson contributed to this report.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/02 ... e-revival/