TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
There is no free market in radio if only one side is represented. If I wanted to buy a license to open a radio station in a rural part of my state because I wanted to bring a different viewpoint, I wouldn't be able to do it because all of the licenses have already been taken. If all the radio stations in that market bring the talking points of the government to the airwaves 24/7, which is what happens in many rural areas, then how does that protect the Constitutional rights of the people in that community? I'm not talking about protecting people from themselves; I'm talking about protecting people from a non-stop onslaught of government propaganda. To do that, you need to provide more than one viewpoint. When I was a kid, every night on the TV news a person from the community would go on and give a 2-minute commentary about why some editorial or news story provided by that station was wrong. You are arguing that this type of commentary against whatever
the news people say is wrong. It didn't used to be that way. It used to be that people were allowed to respectfully voice different opinions on the same news program.
----- Original Message ----
From: Leonard C. Porrello <Leonard -dot- Porrello -at- SoleraTec -dot- com>
To: Diane Brennan <dalaine00 -at- yahoo -dot- com>; "Hemstreet, Deborah" <DHemstreet -at- kaydon -dot- com>; Bonnie Granat <bgranat -at- granatedit -dot- com>; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Sent: Wednesday, August 20, 2008 5:09:38 PM
Subject: RE: marginally on-topic: Question about Fairness doctrine
When the government is pro-active in taking every possible opportunity
to control the free market, everybody wins, even technical communicators. For
example, it was a great day for technical communications and the blind when the
Federal Act for People with Disabilities mandated that Braille characters be
included on keypads for 24 hour, drive-through bank machines.
Along with lobbying our representatives to implement legislation to override
the free market in radio, we should also start lobbying them to start a “No
user left behind” campaign, to create laws that will force manufacturers to
produce bug free software and useful documentation. People are too easily brainwashed
into buying inferior products, and it is our job, as the technical communications
intelligentsia, see to it that they are protected.
Leonard
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+leonard -dot- porrello=soleratec -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+leonard -dot- porrello=soleratec -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Diane Brennan
Sent: Wednesday, August 20, 2008 4:18 PM
To: Hemstreet, Deborah; Bonnie Granat; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: marginally on-topic: Question about Fairness doctrine
The only problem with your assumption is that it is a law that is
specifically geared towards media and nothing else. And the thing that you are
fearing, which is that government will dominate the media, can only happen when
you don't allow a diversity of opinions and that's where we're at now. Many
talk radio stations are dominated by one viewpoint that just happens to align
with the people who run the government and there is no alternate opinion
allowed. That's pretty much what you're talking about in China . In rural
areas of America ,
there are no radio stations at all that have an alternate viewpoint in the
entire market. What possible motive could there be for saturating a market with
one message and not allowing any other views if it isn't for the goal of
brainwashing whole communities of people? The fact that so many people don't
even think that there's a problem with presenting one viewpoint 24 hours a day
on radio stations and no other is a
frightening thing to me.
ComponentOne Doc-To-Help gives you everything you need to author and
publish quality Help, Web, and print content. Perfect for technical
authors, developers, and policy writers. Download a FREE trial. http://www.componentone.com/DocToHelp/
True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-
