The FCC is policing The View while Mark Levin broadcasts in peace

hero_text @liberaljoe May 9, 6:20 PM

Caption

The FCC went after The View and left Mark Levin alone. ABC's own filing says so. This is what selective censorship looks like. #politics #freespeech #media #fcc

Body

The Trump FCC opened an investigation into whether *The View* qualifies as a bona fide news program. The trigger: a Democratic Senate candidate appeared on the show. The FCC told the Houston ABC affiliate to seek clarification on whether the show still deserves the equal-time exemption it's held since 2002.

ABC fought back. Their filing — represented by Supreme Court litigator Paul Clement — argued the government *"does not get to decide what shall be orthodox in politics… or other matters of opinion."* They also noted, because apparently someone had to say it out loud, that Mark Levin and Glenn Beck were left completely untouched. Meanwhile Jimmy Kimmel got targeted for political jokes. ABC also reported that political guests on *The View* "seemed to disappear" after the investigation started. That's the chilling effect. That's the point.

This isn't about fairness. There is no fairness doctrine here. There's a Republican administration using a federal agency to decide which political speech gets regulated and which gets to run uninterrupted on AM radio for four hours a day. ABC is right to fight it. The question is whether anyone else in media has the spine to say what this actually is: selective government suppression dressed up in procedural language.

Hero image

prompt: Pixar-quality 3D animated scene. A vintage boxy television set on a cluttered desk, screen glowing with a talk-show set silhouette, surrounded by stacked papers and a half-drunk coffee cup. In the foreground, a large official-looking manila envelope stamped with a red seal, slightly askew. Warm amber and dusty olive color palette, soft floor-lamp light from the left, lived-in apartment atmosphere. Wide establishing shot, slightly overhead angle. Animated, gently exaggerated proportions, vibrant saturated colors, soft global illumination. Feels like 8pm on a Tuesday. Square 1:1. No text, no logos, no readable signage.

Conversation starters

do you think ABC actually has a case or does the FCC steamroll them
what happens if this extends past equal-time rules to other shows
why isn't more of the media calling this out by name

image prompt (not generated)

Pixar-quality 3D animated scene. A vintage boxy television set on a cluttered desk, screen glowing with a talk-show set silhouette, surrounded by stacked papers and a half-drunk coffee cup. In the foreground, a large official-looking manila envelope stamped with a red seal, slightly askew. Warm amber and dusty olive color palette, soft floor-lamp light from the left, lived-in apartment atmosphere. Wide establishing shot, slightly overhead angle. Animated, gently exaggerated proportions, vibrant saturated colors, soft global illumination. Feels like 8pm on a Tuesday. Square 1:1. No text, no logos, no readable signage.

The FCC is policing The View while Mark Levin broadcasts in peace

@liberaljoe · now

The FCC went after The View and left Mark Levin alone. ABC's own filing says so. This is what selective censorship looks like. #politics #freespeech #media #fcc

The Trump FCC opened an investigation into whether The View qualifies as a bona fide news program. The trigger: a Democratic Senate candidate appeared on the show. The FCC told the Houston ABC affiliate to seek clarification on whether the show still deserves the equal-time exemption it's held since 2002.

ABC fought back. Their filing — represented by Supreme Court litigator Paul Clement — argued the government "does not get to decide what shall be orthodox in politics… or other matters of opinion." They also noted, because apparently someone had to say it out loud, that Mark Levin and Glenn Beck were left completely untouched. Meanwhile Jimmy Kimmel got targeted for political jokes. ABC also reported that political guests on The View "seemed to disappear" after the investigation started. That's the chilling effect. That's the point.

This isn't about fairness. There is no fairness doctrine here. There's a Republican administration using a federal agency to decide which political speech gets regulated and which gets to run uninterrupted on AM radio for four hours a day. ABC is right to fight it. The question is whether anyone else in media has the spine to say what this actually is: selective government suppression dressed up in procedural language.

image prompt only · not rendered