# Is it Right for a Broadcaster to Limit Access to National Political Events/Debates **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 7, 2015, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-right-for-a-broadcaster-to-limit-access-to-national-political-events-debates/727256 "2015-08-07T18:12:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-right-for-a-broadcaster-to-limit-access-to-national-political-events-debates/727256/1 "2015-08-07T18:12:27Z")
I don’t have cable. Last night I wanted to watch the debate, but Fox had it behind a paywall (of sorts). It was available on the cable channel, or on-line only if one was a subscriber to a cable network which carries Fox news. On the one hand, a broadcaster naturally has the right to sell its content. Naturally, I don’t begrudge them that. However, it seems to me that a national level political event ought to be available to all citizens, whether they have (or can afford) a cable subscription or not. Of course, I understand that making it available for streaming would require an internet connection and computer (also not free), but it would be an effort to make the political process available to all citizens. What say you? Should there be some sort of legal requirement to make these things available? Is there a moral requirement (as distinct from the legal question)? As I said, I am torn. I don’t like the idea of requiring them to share, but I don’t like the idea that they don’t share, either. ---
**Author:** ![Construct](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@Construct](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Construct)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-right-for-a-broadcaster-to-limit-access-to-national-political-events-debates/727256/2 "2015-08-07T18:17:11Z")
There’s no need for a legal requirement, because the free market will take care of it; The GOP naturally has a desire for their debate to be broadcast to as wide an audience as possible. This will counterbalance Fox’s desire to monetize the debate. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-right-for-a-broadcaster-to-limit-access-to-national-political-events-debates/727256/3 "2015-08-07T18:23:48Z")
It was covered by the press so it’s not something done in secret and you can read about what happened, not to mention see most of it online or TV. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-right-for-a-broadcaster-to-limit-access-to-national-political-events-debates/727256/4 "2015-08-07T18:54:13Z")
I was able to watch the whole thing online last night for free. Can’t remember where: I googled something like, “watch Republican primary debate,” and the second or third link was to a live stream of it. Might not have been a licit website, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-right-for-a-broadcaster-to-limit-access-to-national-political-events-debates/727256/5 "2015-08-08T18:40:14Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I was able to watch the whole thing online last night for free. Can’t remember where: I googled something like, “watch Republican primary debate,” and the second or third link was to a live stream of it. > > Might not have been a licit website, I suppose. There’s always someone out there serving illicit streams of major cable network channels like CNN and Fox, but they come and go and tend not to be great quality, and are certainly not legal. The loyalties of cable channels tend to be with the cable and satellite distributors that pay their carriage fees and are their bread-and-butter business, hence as the OP points out it’s common for their Internet stream to be limited to existing subscribers. > [@Construct](#): > > There’s no need for a legal requirement, because the free market will take care of it; The GOP naturally has a desire for their debate to be broadcast to as wide an audience as possible. This will counterbalance Fox’s desire to monetize the debate. How nice. Then how come the OP wasn’t able to watch it? This is why the appropriate venue for national political debates and other matters of important public interest is non-profit, non-partisan public television with free public access, not a slimeball operation like Fox News that combines the worst elements of being mercenary, politically mendacious, and utterly untrustworthy. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-right-for-a-broadcaster-to-limit-access-to-national-political-events-debates/727256/6 "2015-08-08T19:26:56Z")
> [@OldOlds](#): > > I don’t have cable. Last night I wanted to watch the debate, but Fox had it behind a paywall (of sorts). It was available on the cable channel, or on-line only if one was a subscriber to a cable network which carries Fox news. > > On the one hand, a broadcaster naturally has the right to sell its content. Naturally, I don’t begrudge them that. However, it seems to me that a national level political event ought to be available to all citizens, whether they have (or can afford) a cable subscription or not. Of course, I understand that making it available for streaming would require an internet connection and computer (also not free), but it would be an effort to make the political process available to all citizens. > > What say you? Should there be some sort of legal requirement to make these things available? Is there a moral requirement (as distinct from the legal question)? > > As I said, I am torn. I don’t like the idea of requiring them to share, but I don’t like the idea that they don’t share, either. What if a person doesn’t have a TV or a radio? Should the network be required to provide them with a plane ticket so they can attend live? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-right-for-a-broadcaster-to-limit-access-to-national-political-events-debates/727256/7 "2015-08-08T19:41:10Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > This is why the appropriate venue for national political debates and other matters of important public interest is non-profit, non-partisan public television with free public access “The liberty of the press is essential to the security of freedom in a state: it ought not, therefore, to be restrained in this commonwealth.” –John Adams, Samuel Adams, et al. State sponsored “public television” does not meet our nation’s goals. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-right-for-a-broadcaster-to-limit-access-to-national-political-events-debates/727256/8 "2015-08-08T20:26:57Z")
Well, that certainly settles\* that\*! ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-right-for-a-broadcaster-to-limit-access-to-national-political-events-debates/727256/9 "2015-08-08T20:34:51Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > “The liberty of the press is essential to the security of freedom in a state: it ought not, therefore, to be restrained in this commonwealth.” > > –John Adams, Samuel Adams, et al. > > State sponsored “public television” does not meet our nation’s goals. Publicly-funded television and radio do not interfere with or restrain the liberty of the press, so your argument, such as it is, is invalid _ab initio_. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-right-for-a-broadcaster-to-limit-access-to-national-political-events-debates/727256/10 "2015-08-08T20:34:53Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Well, that certainly settles\* that\*! Right. Clearly the existence of PBS, NPR, and CSPAN have destroyed the free press in this country. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-right-for-a-broadcaster-to-limit-access-to-national-political-events-debates/727256/11 "2015-08-08T20:37:47Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > What if a person doesn’t have a TV or a radio? Should the network be required to provide them with a plane ticket so they can attend live? That’s a poor analogy. It’s not a question of whether a television network has an obligation to pay for airline tickets - television networks aren’t in the travel business. But television networks are in the broadcasting business and one of the conditions under which they have access to the finite resource of broadcasting bandwidth is their agreement to provide news to their viewers. So there is a legitimate question about whether a television network has the legal right to put a newsworthy event like a presidential campaign debate behind a pay wall. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-right-for-a-broadcaster-to-limit-access-to-national-political-events-debates/727256/12 "2015-08-08T20:42:24Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > “The liberty of the press is essential to the security of freedom in a state: it ought not, therefore, to be restrained in this commonwealth.” > > –John Adams, Samuel Adams, et al. > > State sponsored “public television” does not meet our nation’s goals. The press, which is an unlimited resource, has different rules than broadcast media, which is a finite resource. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-right-for-a-broadcaster-to-limit-access-to-national-political-events-debates/727256/13 "2015-08-08T20:45:32Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > “The liberty of the press is essential to the security of freedom in a state: it ought not, therefore, to be restrained in this commonwealth.” > > –John Adams, Samuel Adams, et al. > > State sponsored “public television” does not meet our nation’s goals. Can you explain your reasoning? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-right-for-a-broadcaster-to-limit-access-to-national-political-events-debates/727256/14 "2015-08-08T22:12:17Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Right. Clearly the existence of PBS, NPR, and CSPAN have destroyed the free press in this country. No, they don’t destroy the free press, but a government requirement to air political speech, of any kind, is constitutionally suspect. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-right-for-a-broadcaster-to-limit-access-to-national-political-events-debates/727256/15 "2015-08-08T22:15:04Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > What if a person doesn’t have a TV or a radio? Should the network be required to provide them with a plane ticket so they can attend live? Sure. Cleveland hotels and Hopkins Airport need the cash. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-right-for-a-broadcaster-to-limit-access-to-national-political-events-debates/727256/16 "2015-08-08T22:18:11Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > But television networks are in the broadcasting business and one of the conditions under which they have access to the finite resource of broadcasting bandwidth is their agreement to provide news to their viewers. Do you have a cite for the assertion that broadcasters have agreed (or are required)to provide news to their viewers? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-right-for-a-broadcaster-to-limit-access-to-national-political-events-debates/727256/17 "2015-08-08T22:21:22Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > No, they don’t destroy the free press, but a government requirement to air political speech, of any kind, is constitutionally suspect. I do not have a problem with the GOP’s broadcast _Pravda_ airing a GOP commercial on their network, but I do not see how a government order to broadcast all political speech would be constitutionally suspect. Setting limits on what could be broadcast would certainly be suspect. The reverse would not appear to be true. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-right-for-a-broadcaster-to-limit-access-to-national-political-events-debates/727256/18 "2015-08-08T22:28:51Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Setting limits on what could be broadcast would certainly be suspect. The reverse would not appear to be true. IANAL, but I’m 95% sure that it is settled law that government can’t compel speech. Unless you have a legal citation to the contrary? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-right-for-a-broadcaster-to-limit-access-to-national-political-events-debates/727256/19 "2015-08-08T22:35:01Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > IANAL, but I’m 95% sure that it is settled law that government can’t compel speech. > > Unless you have a legal citation to the contrary? Moving the goalposts does not serve you. An organization compelled to broadcast speech that was already being produced would not be under a compulsion to compel speech. i do not see anyone in government ordering such a thing, but your claim that it would violate the Constitution seems far fetched. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-right-for-a-broadcaster-to-limit-access-to-national-political-events-debates/727256/20 "2015-08-08T22:42:22Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > That’s a poor analogy. It’s not a question of whether a television network has an obligation to pay for airline tickets - television networks aren’t in the travel business. But television networks are in the broadcasting business and one of the conditions under which they have access to the finite resource of broadcasting bandwidth is their agreement to provide news to their viewers. So there is a legitimate question about whether a television network has the legal right to put a newsworthy event like a presidential campaign debate behind a pay wall. Fox News is a cable network. They do require any broadcast bandwidth. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-right-for-a-broadcaster-to-limit-access-to-national-political-events-debates/727256.md?page=2)