By Tom Butts, TVtechnology.com, 1-16-25
With one day left in her term, outgoing Federal Communications Commission Chair Jessica Rosenworcel leveled heavy criticism at the incoming Trump administration over the First Amendment and denied four current complaints filed against broadcasters.
The complaints against WPVI Philadelphia, WCBS New York, WNBC New York, and WTXF Philadelphia had all been filed within the past several months and involved a number of complaints, all stemming from what complainants perceived as biased coverage by ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX News….
During the 2024 campaign, Rosenworcel frequently responded to such accusations of media bias, mostly from the right, and she repeated her arguments in the following statement:
“The First Amendment is a cornerstone of our democracy. By restricting the government from making laws that impair freedom of speech, the First Amendment preserves our right to express ourselves. The freedom of the press in this country depends on it.
“The facts and legal circumstances in each of these cases are different. But what they share is that they seek to weaponize the licensing authority of the FCC in a way that is fundamentally at odds with the First Amendment. To do so would set a dangerous precedent. That is why we reject it here.” » Read More