- Feb 3, 2003
- 2,696
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Found this in a Christian Politics forum, no url I'm afraid, I'm suprised how many Christians abhor Bush.
where it was posted originally
[/quote]john mccain and moveon
in regards to cbs blocking moveons ad from being shown during the superbowl john mccain had this to say
In the words of Senator McCain:
Remarkable.
It is clear from the examples, such as the rejection of MoveOn.org's ad, that CBS and other media companies are dominant in a marketplace that exercises vast influence over what the American people can see on television. This is exhibit A in the case against media concentration.
Too much power has been given to media executives who now are going to pick and choose and censor the content of political material which we as Americans can see. They can decide on one hand that their friends will be favored with ads and then reject ads critical of their political friends as just too controversial for America to witness.
That is exactly what they have done on this MoveOn.org ad. CBS is able to reject MoveOn.org and anyone else whose views they disagree with because the executives know there are thousands of other companies standing in line ready to pay for ads during the Super Bowl.
It all comes down to this: Through years of deregulation, we have created a situation in America where massive media conglomerates, such as CBS, are operating without any effective oversight and with little or no feeling of responsibility to the public.
It used to be people remembered that the airwaves these TV stations use don't belong to these TV stations, they don't belong to the media giants, such as Viacom, they don't belong to CBS. They belong to you, me, and every American. We allow these companies to use the airwaves, and they make a fortune. We licensed them for that purpose. We used to say, before the Reagan administration changed the law: If you are going to use America's airwaves, you have to be fair in the use of the airwaves. The fairness doctrine was thrown out. Now the only standard is that they only have to serve the public interest.
It is such a vague term, "serve the public interest," that CBS, undoubtedly, can get by with rejecting ads for political reasons, such as their rejection of this MoveOn.org ad. But if the public interest standard is to mean anything, it must require broadcast licensees to air diverse points of view on issues of national interest.
It is all right for me as an American to watch something on television with which, frankly, I disagree. Maybe I want to pick up the phone and call the station manager or register my complaint with one group or the other. Isn't that what free speech in America is all about? Not from CBS's point of view. From the CBS point of view, they will pick and choose what you can watch. Ads for beer with young folks doing things which maybe you don't want your children to see--not controversial. Ads by pharmaceutical companies for sexual dysfunction drugs you may not want your children to watch--not controversial. But an ad which says that our children are going to pay off a $1 trillion national debt created by this administration--over the line, way too scandalous, way too controversial. Children and good American families should not be subjected to that, in the eyes of CBS. I certainly disagree.
Broadcasters and executives running broadcast stations should remember that, first and foremost, they are journalists. They have a responsibility to the American people to speak the truth, to give us the information and let us decide. They have a professional and ethical obligation to be fair and balanced, even if it means they have to set aside their own political views and prejudices and perhaps--perhaps--just once in a while, step on the toes of their political allies and friends, even the ones who just handsomely rewarded them with the provision in the recent appropriations bill.
While broadcasters may wish to exercise their discretion in selecting ads that would run afoul of a community's decency standards, broadcasters should not and must not become censors of content. That is the fundamental promise of the first amendment. It is wrong for the Government to censor content. It is wrong for corporate stewards of our public airwaves to do so.
If you believe, after watching this ad by MoveOn.org, that CBS was wrong, that CBS should have allowed this ad, which shows children at work and says, in its closing frame, "Guess who's going to pay off President Bush's $1 trillion deficit?"--if you think CBS made a mistake, you have a right, as an American, to contact them. You can write to them at: CBS Television Network, 51 West 52nd Street, New York, NY, 10019, or you can call them: (212) 975-4321. Ask to talk to the corporate executive who decided this ad was too controversial for your family to see. Make certain they understand, as I feel and hope you feel, that America is ready for an ad which tells the truth, an ad which may be controversial in the eyes of one political party but certainly deserves to be aired so the public can finally decide what is right and what is wrong.
I hope the American people will not sit idly by and watch as these media giants, such as CBS, become bigger, more powerful, and decide just exactly what we as Americans will get to see on TV.
I urge everyone watching to call CBS and remind the executive that you, the American people, are the owners of the American public airwaves.
For CBS, let me say this: The CBS eye has been closed to truth, closed to fairness, closed to presenting the facts honestly to the American people. CBS has a great legacy. It is a storied name when it comes to public information in America. This chapter is sad and disgraceful. Mr. President, I yield the floor.[/quote]
where it was posted originally
[/quote]john mccain and moveon
in regards to cbs blocking moveons ad from being shown during the superbowl john mccain had this to say
In the words of Senator McCain:
Remarkable.
It is clear from the examples, such as the rejection of MoveOn.org's ad, that CBS and other media companies are dominant in a marketplace that exercises vast influence over what the American people can see on television. This is exhibit A in the case against media concentration.
Too much power has been given to media executives who now are going to pick and choose and censor the content of political material which we as Americans can see. They can decide on one hand that their friends will be favored with ads and then reject ads critical of their political friends as just too controversial for America to witness.
That is exactly what they have done on this MoveOn.org ad. CBS is able to reject MoveOn.org and anyone else whose views they disagree with because the executives know there are thousands of other companies standing in line ready to pay for ads during the Super Bowl.
It all comes down to this: Through years of deregulation, we have created a situation in America where massive media conglomerates, such as CBS, are operating without any effective oversight and with little or no feeling of responsibility to the public.
It used to be people remembered that the airwaves these TV stations use don't belong to these TV stations, they don't belong to the media giants, such as Viacom, they don't belong to CBS. They belong to you, me, and every American. We allow these companies to use the airwaves, and they make a fortune. We licensed them for that purpose. We used to say, before the Reagan administration changed the law: If you are going to use America's airwaves, you have to be fair in the use of the airwaves. The fairness doctrine was thrown out. Now the only standard is that they only have to serve the public interest.
It is such a vague term, "serve the public interest," that CBS, undoubtedly, can get by with rejecting ads for political reasons, such as their rejection of this MoveOn.org ad. But if the public interest standard is to mean anything, it must require broadcast licensees to air diverse points of view on issues of national interest.
It is all right for me as an American to watch something on television with which, frankly, I disagree. Maybe I want to pick up the phone and call the station manager or register my complaint with one group or the other. Isn't that what free speech in America is all about? Not from CBS's point of view. From the CBS point of view, they will pick and choose what you can watch. Ads for beer with young folks doing things which maybe you don't want your children to see--not controversial. Ads by pharmaceutical companies for sexual dysfunction drugs you may not want your children to watch--not controversial. But an ad which says that our children are going to pay off a $1 trillion national debt created by this administration--over the line, way too scandalous, way too controversial. Children and good American families should not be subjected to that, in the eyes of CBS. I certainly disagree.
Broadcasters and executives running broadcast stations should remember that, first and foremost, they are journalists. They have a responsibility to the American people to speak the truth, to give us the information and let us decide. They have a professional and ethical obligation to be fair and balanced, even if it means they have to set aside their own political views and prejudices and perhaps--perhaps--just once in a while, step on the toes of their political allies and friends, even the ones who just handsomely rewarded them with the provision in the recent appropriations bill.
While broadcasters may wish to exercise their discretion in selecting ads that would run afoul of a community's decency standards, broadcasters should not and must not become censors of content. That is the fundamental promise of the first amendment. It is wrong for the Government to censor content. It is wrong for corporate stewards of our public airwaves to do so.
If you believe, after watching this ad by MoveOn.org, that CBS was wrong, that CBS should have allowed this ad, which shows children at work and says, in its closing frame, "Guess who's going to pay off President Bush's $1 trillion deficit?"--if you think CBS made a mistake, you have a right, as an American, to contact them. You can write to them at: CBS Television Network, 51 West 52nd Street, New York, NY, 10019, or you can call them: (212) 975-4321. Ask to talk to the corporate executive who decided this ad was too controversial for your family to see. Make certain they understand, as I feel and hope you feel, that America is ready for an ad which tells the truth, an ad which may be controversial in the eyes of one political party but certainly deserves to be aired so the public can finally decide what is right and what is wrong.
I hope the American people will not sit idly by and watch as these media giants, such as CBS, become bigger, more powerful, and decide just exactly what we as Americans will get to see on TV.
I urge everyone watching to call CBS and remind the executive that you, the American people, are the owners of the American public airwaves.
For CBS, let me say this: The CBS eye has been closed to truth, closed to fairness, closed to presenting the facts honestly to the American people. CBS has a great legacy. It is a storied name when it comes to public information in America. This chapter is sad and disgraceful. Mr. President, I yield the floor.[/quote]
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