From the 'hey at least we're trying something' department.

Last July, we noted how media reform activists had petitioned the FCC to revoke Fox News’ local broadcast license in Philadelphia. More specifically, the group argued that Fox News’ rampant election fraud propaganda technically violated the “character clause” embedded in the Communications Act the FCC is supposed to use to determine whether an organization should hold a broadcast license.

To be clear, a single Fox broadcast affiliate losing its license to broadcast in Philly wouldn’t have much of an impact on Fox’s ongoing efforts to spew GOP propaganda nationwide.

But, if successful, it might be replicable in other markets. Even if not, it serves a useful function in terms of activism and gaining media exposure for the need for some flavor of regulatory reform (like restoring popular, bipartisan media consolidation limits stripped away by the Trump FCC, media antitrust reform, or having the FCC actually use its authority to ensure economic and racial diversity ownership in media).

  • MicroWave@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
    542·
    1 year ago

    Glad to see these thoughts spelled out:

    We inhabit an era where the question “what do we do about Fox News propaganda?” sees a real shortage of solutions that are both practical and don’t run afoul of the First Amendment. Everything in the conversation tends to steer toward what’s not possible. Or they involve unworkable gibberish like trying to bring back the Fairness Doctrine (which wouldn’t apply to cable TV anyway).

    So I think it’s good that activists are trying something creative and new. I think it’s good to have a broader conversation about what can actually be done about authoritarian and right wing propaganda. I think it’s good to form new, bipartisan coalitions that finally recognize the harm in partisan propaganda masquerading as news. Because our efforts up to this point have consisted of either stoic tut-tutting about what’s not possible under the First Amendment, or half-baked incoherence.

  • YurkshireLadEnglish
    355·
    1 year ago

    Republicans will claim this is further proof they’re being illegally silenced, their supporters will lap it up and rage hate online. And the divide will ever grow wider.

    • cedarmesa@lemmy.world
      502·
      1 year ago

      So? Kinda done giving a shit what toddlers say. In fact our nation is imploding by allowing them at the adult table.

      • Gerbler@lemmy.ml
        292·
        1 year ago

        Truth. You can’t be afraid of upsetting the perpetually upset. Even if you do nothing they’ll just invent something to be mad about.

        • tabarnaski@sh.itjust.works
          5·
          1 year ago

          Well there’s something called objective reality, based on facts and science, not opinion. If you don’t acknowledge it, any rational discussion becomes impossible. So don’t be surprised if you are kept away from these discussions.

    • TheDoozer@lemmy.world
      181·
      1 year ago

      I’ve been hearing a lot of Neville Chamberlains decrying every action to hold Republicans accountable or establish rules to curtail bad behavior as widening the divide, but I’ve yet to see any attempts to bridge that gap(by the Left) have any positive effect, much less get reciprocated.

      They don’t care about fairness, or law, or compromise. They only want more, and if you don’t establish boundaries, they’ll keep taking more.

      • Taako_Tuesday
        11·
        1 year ago

        I agree, it has been shown that decoupling people from their source of propaganda can deradicalize (some of) them. So yes they’ll be angry for a while, but it’ll be good in the long run.

    • Bonesince1997@lemmy.ml
      6·
      1 year ago

      Yes, but, that rage and anger will turn some to act. Without knowing who all could be hurt, this should at least send a lot more of them to jail. If they can’t be bothered to know the laws beforehand or have their guy strip away that power, then it’s off to jail! I just hope too many aren’t hurt in the process. Truth and rightfulness alone can’t protect us.

    • radix@lemmy.worldEnglish
      5·
      1 year ago

      OANN doesn’t have a FCC broadcast license. They’re cable only.

      WTXF is owned and operated by the Fox corporation, one of 18 such Fox-affiliated stations in the country (Fox owns others but they don’t run any sort of news/“news” programming, so are probably safe). Even if all of them lose their broadcast license over this, it wouldn’t really affect the main Fox News cable channel at all.

      Full list here.

  • FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world
    4·
    1 year ago

    Maybe it won’t happen, but this is the kind of clever stuff you see The Satanic Temple doing, and for that reason, it’s probably worth the effort.