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Fear of knowledge .... or Hypocrisy

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Fear of knowledge .... or Hypocrisy

Are we so naive that we can't be exposed to the other side's view?

from JoeUser Forums
Last week, the Arabic Satellite Channel "Al-Jazerra" launched its English version. Its stated purpose or mission is to present to the English-Speaking world the news from an Arabic point of view. Anything wrong with that? Obviously a lot in the opinion of the American Cable and satellite companies and also of the internet-providers. they refused to carry the channel and blocked access to its internet site.

You would think that can never happen in America .... the land of Free Speech and true Democracy. America ... the One that says these two rights are God-Given and it is its moral obligation to spread them and defend them around the world even if it has to go to wars to do that. That same America blocks a TV station from a tiny country? you would think that happens only in China or the Middle East. But NOOOO, it is happening right here in America. and you wonder ..... Why is that?

Are the powers-to-be afraid that we might know few things that they don't want us to know? or are they afraid that the new channel will brain-wash us with devilish propaganda?

The only answer I can think of is this: It is either the powers-to-be are hypocrites or we are naive. so which is it?

what are they hiding and they don't want us to know? what could that channel say that will harm us? Can information harm us? Is ignorance a bliss? is this still America? I think we deserve an answer.
5,033 views 26 replies
Reply #26 from JoeUser Forums Top
They operate a public service not a private property. and by law, providers of public services are not allowed to deny their services based on bias or personal likings. bias against knowledge and information is worse than bias against color, gender or any other form of bias.


You're quite wrong here. I worked in the industry for more than 10 years and am quite familiar with the regulations governing it. Firstly, cable companies are private entities not public utilities although they are somewhat regulated in a similar fashion and loosely grouped in with them. They are legally prohibited from refusing to provide service to people based upon those criteria, but this has nothing at all to do with what channels they carry, only to whom they provide their service.

The regulations do require certain types of channel access be made available but this is limited to community service type channels, and a percentage of public access channels. Carrying any channel requires an agreement between the broadcaster and the cable entity.

There is nothing in those regulations obligating them to carry certain channels or programming beyond what I already mentioned. Cable companies select channels to carry based upon requests from the subscribers and the franchise agreements negotiated with the local governments.

If they receive enough requests for a certain channel from their subscriber base they will carry that channel if technically and financially feasible. There is no regulation requiring them to do so or prohibiting them from refusing to do so.