Is Obama Trying to Kill a Free Press?

Jay Sekulow wrote regarding the continued attack on American freedoms by the Obama Administration.  It appears that the Administration will not stop at any costs to silence opposition and the Free Press as part of this. 

According to FCC Commissioner, Ajit Pai, the FCC:

proposed an initiative to thrust the federal government into newsrooms across the country. With its "Multi-Market Study of Critical Information Needs," or CIN, the agency plans to send researchers to grill reporters, editors and station owners about how they decide which stories to run.

It is truly disturbing, that, like the Tea Party Groups, individuals will be grilled about their beliefs or reasoning for running stories.  Is there any doubt that this is an intrusion upon our free press and free speech?  



Sekulow writes,

The FCC is launching a new study, taking upon itself the task of deciding what news the public “needs” to hear, versus the news the public wants to hear. The agency will conduct a “General Population Survey” that will “measure community members’ actual and perceived critical information needs.”

What is that supposed to mean?  The government, who tends to pass legislation against the will of the people, is somehow in posession of the knowledge to determine what our needs as a society digesting news?

And, what of all the bloggers and other writers of political commentary and other news?  Where will this stop and what is the purpose?  Even those, like myself, who do not subscribe to government conspiracies are concerned.  Freedom of the Press is just another form of Freedom of Speech.  Any journalistic endeavor has the right to say what they will regarding the ongoing news.  It is protected along with our Freedom of Speech.  Yet, this seems to be digging into an area where the government should not go.

The concern is the purpose or use of this information.  By divulging such information to the government, it is likely to silence critics of the government.  Let's look at it this way; if the IRS was investigating your tax returns, would you be more cautious in filing your returns that year?  Think about it.  If the FCC and government are investigating journalists and newsrooms, is it that far fetched to believe that news stories will become more positive in nature towards government?  For Conservatives, we know what this would mean; however, the opposition may not see it this way.

It gets worse.  The FCC also prioritized what is "important" by government views. Again, Sekulow writes:

And what does the FCC prioritize? If its list is any indication, it prioritizes the “environment” far above the “weather,” while war news barely makes the list.
So I suppose when storms are brewing it’s more important that I learn about carbon credits than where a tornado might touch down? And just don’t you worry about what’s happening in our war against jihadists. 

Is it any wonder that this country is going to hell in a hand basket?  We are being intimidated by that which we fear most on the Right; big government.  One cannot have a one fit's all media, that is why CBS, ABC, NBC, and others are failing.  They repeat the same stories while not providing information to those who want to know.  And, judging by the list of "needs", we would be highly underserved on the Right.