NRA TV

The worst law passed in the USA in my lifetime? I'll go for McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform. We have to defend every misogynist rapper or prurient purveyor of radio violence and sleaze, but we sit idly by when the US Congress takes our real First Amendment protection away.

Glenn Reynolds pens a nice piece on TechCentralStation: Bypassing - or Becoming - the Media?

The NRA has been shut out of its traditional media role, so why not buy a network, or at least start a web-TV station?

What lets the NRA go into this business is technology -- setting up a nationwide TV network via the Web is a lot cheaper than relying on broadcasting or even cable, and with the growing penetration of high-speed internet services, NRA News may reach as many people as some cable channels. (In this, NRA is following in the footsteps of pioneers like Evan Coyne Maloney.) And given that it's easy to enter the media, and that the law treats media organizations more favorably than non-media organizations, we're likely to see a lot more people following the NRA's lead.

In law, we talk about exceptions swallowing the rule. I suspect that's what's happening here, as a "media exception" encourages all sorts of people to become the media, instead of criticizing them. That seems like a good thing to me, though I suspect not everyone will agree.

It's a good thing, Glenn. Anything that gets around this scourge is a good thing. I've defended the current Supreme Court against liberal and conservative attacks, but I am astonished that they did not strike down this clear impingement on our freedoms.

And yes, I welcome liberal groups' doing the same.

Posted by jk at April 21, 2004 02:02 PM