Copps' Media Call to Action draws fire from Barton

Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) is pushing back against a contention by Federal Communications Commission member Michael Copps that the government should create new regulations to promote diversity in news programming.

Rep Barton was reacting to a proposal made last week by Commissioner Copps, who in a speech suggested that broadcasters be subject to a new "public values test" every four years. "I hope … that you do not mean to suggest that it is the job of the federal government, through the [FCC], to determine the content that is available for Americans to consume,” Barton wrote in a letter to Copps. Rep Barton questioned whether Commissioner Copps believes the government should reinstate the defunct Fairness Doctrine, a controversial standard that required broadcast licensees to offer "balanced" coverage. Critics saw it as an affront to free speech. Rep Barton also asked whether "five commissioners can do a better job of ensuring that Americans have access to a wide diversity of content and viewpoints than Americans can themselves by expressing their preferences ... in the vigorously competitive marketplace."