Should the FCC look into whether Fox News is really news?

Interesting. I doubt that the FCC would think over estimating the number of people at a Tea Party would cause substantial public harm though.

Or maybe they should file themselves as a lobbyist org.

Then the FDA can investigate whether I Can't Believe It's Not Butter is really butter.

This is a stretch!

Is broadcasting false information illegal only if it involves crimes, etc.?

The FCC will be on the case as soon as they finish reviewing the footage of Janet Jackson's Waldrobe Malfunction better known as Nipple Gate

That's a pretty big stretch when showing false Palin video and lying about our government.

Brings back memories of a local radio station that had its license pulled after a 'hoax' (do not remember details, but don't think it would have 'caused substantial public harm'). Ironically, it was the local EAS hub station.

I think you guys drank too much Kool-Aid?

You can make a strong case here, but of course the FCC would never consider it:

Fox News' goal is clearly to discredit the Obama administration and the Democratic party for the purpose of electing Republicans to the national government.

Fox News knowingly broadcasts false information as a means to this end.

It is foreseeable, based on past experience, and based on the stated positions of the Republican party, that substantial public harm would result if Fox News succeeded in this endeavor.

And broadcast of this false information has clearly caused substantial public harm, as evidenced by poll after poll showing mass confusion about health care, fiscal policy, detainee policy, etc.

It's a weak case. And we know the Democrats and the administration want no part of any fight over talk radio and Fox News, despite the clear implications for the public interest.

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The F.C.C. better investigate, SURE, if only to recover the fines the Commission may exact for broadcast violations. But MORE

since FOX is the media department of a partisan political organization (the GOP), then the broadcast operating money IS all CAMPAIGN Contributions, trading stock in kind where the TV 'stock' so happens to be airtime ... and thousands or MILLIONS of dollars donated to the Republican Party.

Which must be F.E.C. - Fed.Election.Comm. AUDITED.

The FCC is too preoccupied coming down on toilet and locker room humor to stop and worry about the truth.

If memory serves me correctly, the FCC doesn't regulate cable news networks as they are not broadcasting over the airwaves.

Amato needs to re-read the provision in question. The rule prohibits broadcast licensees or permittees from broadcasting "false information concerning a crime or a catastrophe" under a certain set of circumstances. Thus, the broadcast must contain information regarding a crime or a catastrophe. Running faked footage of a Sarah Palin event, for example, would not qualify. If it does not involve a crime or catastrophe, it doesn't matter whether Fox knows it's false, whether it will cause substantial public harm, etc.

This is pretty basic statutory interpretation, folks.

I think they should force Fox News to change the name of the channel to something more befitting the quality of their broadcast, but they shouldn't be shut down. Even though they are idiotic, I think that it would be too much for the FCC to shut them down, and think about the massive backlash they would hear. All the talking heads would definitely play the media martyrdom role.

I hate Fox News just as much as the rest of the people who are regulars to Media Matters, but Amato is REALLY reaching with this one. I've often wondered how Fox News can get away with all the lies, and distortions they have running on their network daily. I really do think that when a news network chooses to mislead their viewers, it can have a negative effect on our country. I've watched clips of Fox News that cover just the last 2 years since President Obama announced he was running for President, and it really started to bother me. One thing that I started to think about was "If this many Americans, who get all their news from Fox News Channel, can have their political views skewed so far from the truth, what is happening to the Country's who are pulling clips from Fox News stories and showing it to their viewers as news from America?" What made me think about this was a story I saw about the war Between Russia & Georgia. A girl was rescued by Russian troops who helped get her to safety. Fox News, who Dislikes Russia VERY MUCH, was trying to paint the Russian troops as villians. The girl and her aunt went to great length to explain to the viewers, even tho Shep Smith did his best to cut them off as the started playing music to get them to commerical break, that the Russian troops took her to safety. This FNC story then made it on to Russian TV News, who did a story about how Fox News Channel CENSORED the young girl an her aunt. What does that say to other countries about America? Who hear America proclaim how great our country is. How we're the IDEAL form of Government, because of our freedoms. Most importantly, Freedom of Speech.
I understand that the FCC has no authority over Cable News. Aren't these laws just a little bit out of date? It's easy to see that the FCC's authority over Cable News, like many other regulatory authorities over systems in America, is far far behind where they need to be. Over the last decade, Cable News' influence on where Americans get their news has climbed right up there with Network News. Why should they be held to a lower standard than the FCC holds CBS, ABC, and NBC News? Until & Unless the FCC starts having the same authority over Cable News as they do over Network News, than we are going to see a deeper divide in our Country grow as time goes on when it comes to the Policies and Laws that our Country tries to move forward with. Eventually, nothing will get done in Congress due to our Politicians being affraid to vote one way or another. They'll get slammed from one side or the other on Cable News. Plus, don't forget the negative effect misleadig news stories and commentary will have on how the rest of the world views America.

I don't understand, We need to speak out against Glen Beck and Hannity. The rhetoric is getting really dangerous for our president. The billboards and other signs. This is scary. I think the Justice Department need to step in. I telling you I have a BAD feeling about what's going on. I pray for our President but we need to step up to the plate. Beck is calling for a revolution against the government. If this had been any other administration the arrest would have been made already. This is TREASON folks. Let's do something!

I have to agree with Mike Papantonio on this one. We should leave Fox alone because it really doesn't reach that wide of an audience and we know who they are but we should be concerned about the right wing hate broadcast on our public airwaves that we pay for. Fox is a private enterprise but the AM stations that carry Savage and Limbaugh are pubically owned. In my town, Chicago, Limbaugh is carried on an ABC affiliated station. Why are we letting ABC get away with carrying this racist bimbo but giving Fox a hard time. The major networks and talk radio reach many times more viewers and listeners than Fox news could dream of reaching.