Friday, May 20, 2011

Erwin Krasnow: The First Amendment and the Fallacy of the Public's Airwaves

Erwin G. Krasnow recently penned a piece entitled The First Amendment and the Fallacy of the Public's Airwaves. It is worth reading. It also stirred up some great feedback, both pro and con:

Kudos

Frank Kalil, Kalil & Co – “Every owner of TV and Radio should send $1000 to the Erwin Krasnow Thank You Fund.”

Mark Fowler, former FCC Chairman – “It’s heartening to see your solid advocacy in defense of our beloved First Amendment.”

Ken Robinson, former Chief of Staff to FCC Chairman Al Sikes – “You don’t seriously think any of our Commissioners have (a) heard of Sen. Dill, (b) thought what the statute might say, or (c) let the First Amendment insinuate itself into their logic. Aw, c’mon!” “Always remember what a former FCC Chairman said of some of his colleagues - - “what they don’t know would fill the Anaheim Coliseum.”

Nortex – “Good advocacy by a former lawyer of the National Association of Broadcasters. If adopted, it would eliminate archaic regulations enforced by the FCC. The ‘public ownership’ of the airwaves has been used through the years to justify control of content.”

Musichead1029 – “This eminently rational mission statement is unlikely to be considered, as it would require the government to take actions that would threaten its power base. The FCC is interested in control, not ‘public interest.’ The only time you hear about the ‘public interest’ in the context of government is when a possibly well-meaning but ultimately condescending politician like Newton Minnow or Michael Copps claims to know what the ‘public interest’ is, and how they can implement it if they are just given the power to do so.”

Brick Bats

Marcus Aurelius – “Just sounds like another corporate backed jerk who wants to take all rights away from citizens and have everything controlled by corporations.”

Onthesidelines – “Typical libertarian drivel.”

Len Hart – “KRASNOW’S reasoning is fallacious, a right-wing inspired rationalization, an ex post facto excuse to let huge corporations reap huge profits by lying to us, brainwashing us, and otherwise kissing up to the right wing of which they are a part!”

Bird – “Using his “logic” then no one can own any land because that has been here long before man as well, but then that wouldn’t fit into his randist, capitalist wet dream. What a shithead.”

Josh – “This is absurd.”

Jackass – “Spoken like a true Conservative rat Republican. Smaller government, more control for government taking citizens rights away."


Erwin is a partner in the law firm of Garvey Schubert Barer in Washington, DC, and is a former general counsel of the National Association of Broadcasters and the co-author of The Politics of Braodcasting Regulation.

George
Media Services Group

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