Disclosure Rule the First Step Toward Quotas

[Commentary] In a recent column, former Federal Communications Commission staffer Steve Waldman asks, "Do broadcasters believe that they even have a public interest obligation anymore?" He answers “Yes,” but only if the obligation "remains devoid of meaning." Jessell’s answer: “Yes, but only if broadcasters get to decide what the public interest is just as all other media do. They don't need or want guidance from Washington. The day is long past when content regulation can be justified on one segment of a TV medium that now also includes cable, satellite and the Internet.” TV stations, Jessell argues, are perfectly transparent. If you want to know what a station is doing or not doing to serve the public interest, however you want to define it, all you have to do is turn on the TV and watch. It's all right there on the screen. No secrets.