Should ABC be allowed to violate their sacred trust to the public?

As of now, they have made decisions that violate that trust.


They have put themselves between the interests of the public by denying certain candidates the ability to air their views.


We must begin to discuss this outrage by making clear that the airwaves in this country are free. Media companies are accorded access with the understanding that they are not to indulge in arbitrary censorship.



According to the FCC decision of 1934, the airwaves were made available to the media with the understanding that the public trust was to be respected; and that none of the media had the right to impose arbitrary censorship standards..



In effect, the decision of ABC this week was tantamount to censorship.



Dennis Kucinich is a candidate by all definitions.



By many surveys he has one or more of the debates.



And in a debate among presidential candidates, no single media company, no matter how large, has the right to deny him the opportunity to participate in a forum or debate among his peers.



ABC was allowed to proceed with this canard.



Why?



Because ABC is involved as are the other media companies in enterprises that are run by conservative managements. These media components are subservient to the wishes of the parent companies which tends to lead to strictly conservative news management that is not compatible with the public good.



The government rather than discouraging such procedures has allowed the individually conservatively run media companies to act as if they were free to control the media as they see it which is in direct contradiction to the FCC regulations of 1934 and a blot on the idea of freedom of the media.



Where do such tactics end?



We have seen large media conglomerates hide information or delay its release so that the public could not make fully informed decisions. We have seen the media serve as a sounding board for special interests rather than respecting the public good.



In view of the past violations of the public trust, the media, may have, in effect, sealed its own demise among thinking people who will not continue to support unfair coverage and misleading reporting on the news or obfuscation of information that the public is entitled to.



One of the first things that a new government must do is conduct a hearing into the abuses and excesses of the media in violating their public trust.



Les Aaron