Should Tax-Supported Broadcasting Be Eliminated?
June 22, 2005

IRVINE, CA--A House subcommittee has voted to substantially reduce tax-support of broadcasting. Those who receive this support are filling their airwaves with appeals to their listeners/viewers to lobby Congress to reverse the vote.

But Congress should not reverse the subcommittee's vote--it should eliminate tax-supported broadcasting entirely--because such support is a violation of the First Amendment: "The Congress shall make no law . . . a bridging the freedom of speech, or of the press."

It is usually obvious when the government abridges, i.e., cuts short or curtails, the freedom of speech of broadcasters directly, such as when it threatens them with fines or imprisonment for speaking out. But less obvious are cases where the government abridges the freedom of speech of broadcasters indirectly--by, say, financing some at the expense of others. In giving free money to some broadcasters, the government necessarily makes it harder for those who don't receive the handouts to reach an audience with their ideas. And the injustice is compounded when this "free money" comes from the victims' own pockets (in the form of taxes).

In the name of free speech and the Bill of Rights, governmental funding of broadcasters--and, more generally, the sponsorship of any ideas by government--should be ended.

### ### ### 

Dr. Yaron Brook is available for interviews. To interview Dr. Brook or book him for your show, please e-mail media@aynrandcenter.org

For more articles by Yaron Brook, and his bio, click here.