FCC Chief Diversity Officer Blames “Right-Wing Smear Campaign” For Death Threats

Mark Lloyd, the FCC’s Chief Diversity Officer, says a “right-wing smear campaign” has led to death threats and hate mail, and great misunderstanding about his beliefs.

He said, “Allow me to clear away some mud: I am not a Czar appointed by President Obama. I am not at the FCC to restore the Fairness Doctrine through the front door or the back door, or to carry out a secret plot funded by George Soros to get rid of Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, or any other conservative talk show host. I am not at the FCC to remove anybody, whatever their color, from power. I am not a supporter of Hugo Chavez.” Lloyd called the “campaign” against him “incredible” and said it has generated “hate mail and death threats.”

And speaking of diversity, Lloyd said it’s important that people read not just the Wall Street Journal, but also the New York Times, not just the Washington Times, but also the Washington Post.  Lloyd has been accused of pushing for a renewed Fairness Doctrine when, in fact, that is not his message at all.

…Lloyd also proposes tighter local and national ownership caps, the replacement of the issues/programs list in public files with a quarterly form detailing how stations serve the public interest, and three-year license terms.

Additionally, in a 2007 essay called “Forget the Fairness Doctrine,” Lloyd called Rush Limbaugh a “distortionist,” said that broadcasters who refuse to air progressive hosts are motivated by more than economic concerns. He reiterated that the Fairness Doctrine never “fostered coverage of important issues in a way that spoke to the diversity of interests in local communities.”

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.