NERW: The FCC in Authoritarian Times

[davideduardo]

There you go. For those of you who think the media is in charge of what's the truth and what's a lie, you now have the answer. The government's own geological office has now changed its information to reflect the new truth:

Gulf of America

Following President Trump’s Executive Order 14172, “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness,” on February 7, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum signed Secretary’s Order (SO) 3423 - The Gulf of America and directed the BGN to immediately rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America...

www.usgs.gov

And, in all fairness, Mexico is in America. Belize is in America, as is Cuba. The name, which really did not need to be changed anyway, is actually more accurate.

 

[TheBigA]

I did a search for NewsCorp, parent company of Fox News, to see if they still have a DEI program. I found this:

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion - News Corp
Learn more about our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion goals and strategies in our 2023 Environmental, Social & Governance Report and by visiting the websites of our businesses.

However, the page itself had been removed. The company does have this diversity statement:

Corporate Diversity Statement - News Corp

CORPORATE DIVERSITY STATEMENT At News Corp, we believe that the unique experiences and perspectives of employees across our businesses are critical to creating brands and products that promote the contest of ideas and engage and inspire readers, audiences and customers around the world. Our goal...

newscorp.com

The Fox Corporation has apparently scrubbed all references of DEI from it's job listings:

Fox Scrubs DEI Commitment From Job Listings After Being Called Out By Oliver Darcy

Fox reportedly scrubbed DEI from all its job listings after Oliver Darcy called out the disparity of championing it while hosts criticized it.

www.mediaite.com

So what can we conclude from all this?

 

[TheBigA]

And, in all fairness, Mexico is in America. Belize is in America, as is Cuba. The name, which really did not need to be changed anyway, is actually more accurate.

To me the issue isn't whether or not it needed to be changed, but the fact that news organizations are being targeted for not using the approved name.

It gets to the idea of the government becoming the language police, and punishing the media for it.

That's what this thread is about. The government using its power to attack and control the media.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

There you go. For those of you who think the media is in charge of what's the truth and what's a lie, you now have the answer.

The answer is they’re caving to fascists.
These nitwits can name it Peppermint Unicorn Magic Land; that doesn’t make it real. It’s an international body of water

The government's own geological office has now changed its information to reflect the new truth:

Gulf of America

Following President Trump’s Executive Order 14172, “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness,” on February 7, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum signed Secretary’s Order (SO) 3423 - The Gulf of America and directed the BGN to immediately rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America...

www.usgs.gov

While in the rest of the world

What a load of BS AbrahamJSimpson. Prove to me the death of democracy. Otherwise I call us BS and of the political bitter kind

Someone else’s willful blindness is not my issue.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

So what can we conclude from all this?

That every news and pseudo news broadcast/cable operation is submitting to the fascists. Gee. If only there were historical parallels.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

FIFY

Truth

 

[Rusty Muck]

I did a search for NewsCorp, parent company of Fox News, to see if they still have a DEI program. I found this:

FWIW, the Internet Archive last crawled the page on January 30

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at News Corp

We believe in the importance of creating an environment in which all of our employees can feel valued, included and empowered.

web.archive.org

 

[davideduardo]

That every news and pseudo news broadcast/cable operation is submitting to the fascists. Gee. If only there were historical parallels.

You obviously have no idea what fascists were... 90 years ago. In fact, there were significant varieties of fascists, ranging from Franco to Hitler to Mussolini. More modern ones were Perón and Hoxha. Even the "democratic" one-party rule of Mexico for 70 years under the PRI can be considered an adaptation of the horribly broad concept.

Having lived under those systems in Ecuador, Argentina and Mexico in different times of my life, I can quite reasonably state that we are not even remotely approaching such a state. And, to keep this about radio and "the media", broadcasters are simply moving with what they sense is a changed mood in the whole country.

 

[yeoldeschool]

And, in all fairness, Mexico is in America. Belize is in America, as is Cuba. The name, which really did not need to be changed anyway, is actually more accurate.

Since nobody can decide which country it belongs to and the whole thing is one giant underwater oil field, how about we just cut our losses down the middle and call it the Gulf of Texaco?

 

[yeoldeschool]

Meanwhile, Associated Press got sent to the naughty corner, for using “Gulf Of Mexico”…

Associated Press barred from Oval Office for not using ‘Gulf of America’

Agency says its reporter wasn’t allowed into event in effort to ‘punish’ style guide on upholding use of Gulf of Mexico

www.theguardian.com

Leavett doubled down stating that not calling the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America" was a lie. King Trump has decreed.........

https://twitter.com/x/status/1889749843280642474

Displaying belligerence toward another over petty issues is a classic psychological technique for establishing dominance through the infliction of fear (of the unpredictable). "That dog is frothing at the mouth -- it could do anything, stay away," etc.

 

[davideduardo]

Displaying belligerence toward another over petty issues is a classic psychological technique for establishing dominance through the infliction of fear (of the unpredictable). "That dog is frothing at the mouth -- it could do anything, stay away," etc.

What politicians don't realize is that any publicity is good publicity. The whole Trump administration seems to have a lot more private enterprise experience and they welcome even the negative reports on more liberal media. In fact, the progressive folks' criticisms become an excuse to further expound on the point they were trying to make.

I recall when I put a very controversial morning show on a station I managed. The owner was afraid of bad publicity. I told him that any bad publicity guaranteed tens of thousands of new listeners the next day. The ratings proved it.

 

[TheBigA]

The whole Trump administration seems to have a lot more private enterprise experience and they welcome even the negative reports on more liberal media.

That doesn't seem to be conveyed to the FCC, thus this thread.

 

[TheBigA]

Several polls say the public is opposed to the renaming of the Gulf Of Mexico:

Latest poll: Renaming Gulf of Mexico opposed by most Americans

The vast majority of Americans don't approve of Trump's decision to rename the Gulf last week.

www.al.com

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-gulf-of-mexico-gulf-of-america.html

I wonder if the white house will take action against the organizations that report this poll.

 

[leethalweapon]

Several polls say the public is opposed to the renaming of the Gulf Of Mexico:

Latest poll: Renaming Gulf of Mexico opposed by most Americans

The vast majority of Americans don't approve of Trump's decision to rename the Gulf last week.

www.al.com

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-gulf-of-mexico-gulf-of-america.html

I wonder if the white house will take action against the organizations that report this poll.

Somehow now that he is back, I don't think polls are going to bother Trump.

 

[Mark Roberts]

Since nobody can decide which country it belongs to and the whole thing is one giant underwater oil field, how about we just cut our losses down the middle and call it the Gulf of Texaco?

I think you mean the Gulf of Chevron. Or, to allude to an earlier Chevron acquisition, the Gulf of Gulf.

 

[Mark Roberts]

You obviously have no idea what fascists were... 90 years ago. In fact, there were significant varieties of fascists, ranging from Franco to Hitler to Mussolini. More modern ones were Perón and Hoxha. Even the "democratic" one-party rule of Mexico for 70 years under the PRI can be considered an adaptation of the horribly broad concept.

Having lived under those systems in Ecuador, Argentina and Mexico in different times of my life, I can quite reasonably state that we are not even remotely approaching such a state. And, to keep this about radio and "the media", broadcasters are simply moving with what they sense is a changed mood in the whole country.

The point, I believe, is to avoid getting into that state. Loyalty tests, disregard of laws, prohibition of certain terms, and demonization of vulnerable populations are not positive signs and have been very much evident the past three weeks.

 

[tall_guy1]

You obviously have no idea what fascists were... 90 years ago. In fact, there were significant varieties of fascists, ranging from Franco to Hitler to Mussolini. More modern ones were Perón and Hoxha. Even the "democratic" one-party rule of Mexico for 70 years under the PRI can be considered an adaptation of the horribly broad concept.

Having lived under those systems in Ecuador, Argentina and Mexico in different times of my life, I can quite reasonably state that we are not even remotely approaching such a state. And, to keep this about radio and "the media", broadcasters are simply moving with what they sense is a changed mood in the whole country.

Yeah, but shouldn't the media be authentic? It makes sense for trends, but for editorial-type news coverage, people want to know who to actually trust.

 

[TheBigA]

Here's an analysis piece on the FCC's investigation of Comcast NBCUniversal over its DEI policy:

FCC Threatens Broadcasters That Continue To Promote DEI Programs.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr has made no secret of his distaste for diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. He has bought them to an end at the Federal Communications Commission, and

www.insideradio.com

Here's a response to Carr's actions from FCC Commissioner Anita Gomez:

Gomez Condemns FCC ‘Weaponization’ of Broadcast Licensing - Radio Ink

FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez warns against political influence in media regulation, calling for press freedom for broadcasters.

radioink.com

 

[Mediafrog+]

I think you mean the Gulf of Chevron. Or, to allude to an earlier Chevron acquisition, the Gulf of Gulf.

Perhaps you are on to something. In order to cut taxes, the government could sell naming rights to geographic landmarks. Mount McDonalds. Tesla Lake. Sea of Starbucks. The Gulf of Chevrolet. Bay of Best Buy. Etc.🤪🤣

 

[TheBigA]

The FCC will hold its first public meeting on February 27. The Chairman outlined the agenda for the meeting here:

The First Agenda for the New Commission—Spectrum, Public Safety, and Consumer Protection.

Last Friday, I took my first official trip as FCC Chairman, visiting parts of North Carolina that were hit hard by Hurrica

www.fcc.gov

None of his investigations are listed at all on the agenda. I wonder if they'll come up and how they'll be addressed.