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This is profoundly disturbing. It is essential that we bring back the Fairness Doctrine and make it illegal for any form of broadcast publication or media to lie the way the right wing extremists have done for the past 34 years.

Our great democracy will not survive the continued attack on its very existence.

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Agree! Because news and media has evolved since 1987, something better and all-encompassing than the Fairness Doctrine would be apropos for the complex world of 2021 (Fairness only applied to over the air broadcasters with Federal licenses). Perhaps a "Truth In All Mass Media Doctrine" with stiff penalties for noncompliance.

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The problem will come in selecting who will be judging the truth of what is broadcast.

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LH ~ No Problem, imho. We will rely on the same set of objective principles that has guided (and misguided) our society for more than 200 years. While America has a troubled past in treating one another like equal members of GodтАЩs creation, Americans have been able to build some reputable structures and systems.

America has had a legitimate FCC through decades of bipartisan administrations and divided Congresses. Those who desire a world based on rationale, facts and scientific inquiry will prevail, and if this does not happen, then we have far greater problems than a corrupted media.

Now is the the time to pressure the remaining moderates in the Republican party to support a legitimate and honorable press. IтАЩm thinking of Sasse, Murkowski, Collins, Romney and the governors or OH, MD, MA, and VT. Is there anyone else??? Conversely, we must replace elected officials who entrust our future to fake news.

The delusional view of Fox News, its echo chamber and the RNC must be loudly broadcast through the 2022 mid-term elections.

* We must replace elected officials who validate the insurrection of January 6, 2021. At stake is a legitimate press with its necessary freedoms, and the upcoming mid-term election is our opportunity.

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Hear! Hear! Frederick!

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LH ...correct! Who will judge? Also the fairness doctrine is weak as it is/was. Cable broadcasting has had decades of non regulation. FOX cable is a huge problem that goes uncontested. I have had a few years in broadcasting and and know how the news can be twisted. And advertiser shelter by the truth. There has to be an answer! Sadly I do not have it.

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You are absolutely right, LH.

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Great point as Bill Gates, Big Pharma and the Tech Companies basically own the media.

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I firmly support the Fairness Doctrine but we need to be wise enough to realize that mainstream media is confined by the men who own their networks, papers, etc. Yes Fox is easy to focus on because they blatantly sell lies but when you follow the money even amazing news sources such as NPR and BBC are limited by Big Money. ThatтАЩs what makes Heather so valuable no one is censoring her words, she is simply giving us the facts!! Thank you Heather!!

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It would be great to be able to do this except that most of the locales where these folks get their information are not official press sites. The Fairness Doctrine cannot be an umbrella over blogs, reddit sites, etc. because the expression of opinion is not restricted by the Constitution, only the official media sites (TV and radio stations, newspapers, etc) would be covered under it. It would quell some of the excesses of the appalling Murdoch family, for instance, but it won't do anything about the internet.

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Why not regulate non-broadcast media, including social media? There are always limits even with free speech protected. Slander, libel, malicious intent, risks to public safety or national security, are all currently restricted for good reasons. Certainly there is a slippery slope to avoid, but the country's future is at stake. Training students and the public in critical thinking is essential, but so is limiting the flow of patently false disinformation. A revamped and expanded Fairness Doctrine is an important part of efforts to address our current crisis.

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If presenters/ people posting HAVE to list their sources, or say тАЬthoughts presented are the opinion of the presenter,тАЭ then we are set. No more lies.

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Yes! Unless noted as тАЬall stories opinions of the presenters.тАЭ

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They (meaning anyone) should get Zapped, Everytime they LIE!!!!

If Only this could Actually Happen!!! I was wishing for THIS when I was watching the presidential debates!ЁЯдгЁЯШЕ

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Yes, I was, too. I was imagining casting a Dumbledorish spell that would have the word LIE appear in big smoky letters above the liar, every time they lied, maybe rising from their hair.

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Thank you so much! I am going to echo your 1st sentence.

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Yes, another echo from your first sentence.

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I have lost the thread. To What sentence are you all referring?

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I think they're talking about my comment about bringing back the Fairness Doctrine and applying it to all forms of published media.

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I agree. Is there any talk of that yet? Bringing back the Fairness Doctrine?

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I wish I knew -- I suspect there are more pressing matters to consider first, but it should be on the agenda. To some extent, we need to choose our battles with this Senate. That being said, though, I believe this is increasingly important.

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And our latest battle is to get a viable gun control bill passed and enacted NOW! HavenтАЩt we all been traumatized enough by the NRA and the GOP??

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Mar 20, 2021
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I feel that we need to support organizations that are trying to do this. Check out тАШSocial Media MonitoringтАЩ at Common Cause. Common Cause is approaching the problem from 2 directions: 1) they are reporting false statements regarding the 2020 election and asking responsible social media companies to remove them, and 2) they are asking volunteers to post positive or factual messages to counteract the false statements. IтАЩve been doing this from both directions. Will this have an impact? I donтАЩt know but itтАЩs a start.

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I support Common Cause, Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Fair Fight, Indivisble, etc.

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Yes! That's great! Another one is MoveOn. I think these smaller organizations had a lot to do with why Democrats won the 2020 election. They really worked hard and maybe smaller organizations can be a little more nimble, or versatile. We have to keep trying to make things better.

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Good idea. The problem in the USA particularly (but probably in the U.K. and elsewhere too) is that right thinking people (=automatically everyone who subscribes to HeatherтАЩs letter!) grumble about the lies but do not shout out the truth. Those telling the big lie bellow it relentlessly.

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I am IN.

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