Pirate's Cove

So, just a little reminder of what’s going on

(Baltimore Sun) Facing a firestorm of criticism, Sinclair Broadcast Group spent last week defending a controversial on-air promotion in which its TV anchors across the country read identical scripts decrying “fake” news.

A video montage produced by website Deadspin, which shows anchors at local news stations warning of biased and false news on social media and in traditional outlets, went viral and sparked a backlash.

Critics say the TV station owner’s centralized message, required to be read on air, further reinforces the notion that right-leaning Sinclair wants to consolidate the local news industry and spread politicized “propaganda” through control and ownership of more stations than any other broadcaster.

Opponents of Sinclair’s proposed $3.9 billion takeover of Tribune Media, which would give it control of 233 television stations that reach 72 percent of U.S. households, see the anchor announcements as ominous signs of more to come from the company. They worry about conservative messaging being fed to local communities, especially when the latest echoes phrasing used by President Donald Trump when criticizing mainstream news organizations.

In a nutshell, this drove Leftists, especially those in the media, bat guano insane. How dare Sinclair have their own viewpoint which is different from the Leftist media viewpoint! That’s verboten, Comrades. So, of course, Senate Democrats have to get involved

12 Dem Senators Send Letter to Ajit Pai on Sinclair Broadcasting's "fitness to hold it's existing broadcast licenses" for the act of questioning "one-sided news stories plaguing our country."

Shorter: Dem Senators threaten free press & 1st Amendment.https://t.co/NxIp1O6117

— A.P. Dillon (@APDillon_) April 12, 2018

And this is a lot closer to the letter of violating the 1st Amendment, whereby it says “Congress shall pass no law…” Usually, we’re just talking about violating the spirit of the 1st. Here, 12 Democratic Senators want the FCC to Do Something

So, they totally love the 1st so much that they want to use the power of the federal government to go after a TV network engaged in using their 1st Amendment Rights of Free Speech and Freedom of the Press. I don’t remember the 1st mentioning anything about any sort of “public interest test.” I do remember the Framers essentially saying Free Speech was about protecting speech that people, and government, do not like from Government, and the same with the press.

These 12 Democrat senators are Maria Cantwell, Tom Udall, Patty Murray, Elizabeth “Not Really And Indian” Warren, Ron Wyden, Edward Markey, Richard “Big Carbon Footprint” Blumenthal, Tina Smith, Bernard “lots of homes for a Socialist” Sanders, Jeffrey Merkley, Tammy Baldwin, and Cory Booker.