ARTICLES

Filner Fends Off Child Porn Charge

Frets re Government Censorship

By Anne Knight

Democratic Congressman Bob Filner hosted a "Town Hall Meeting on the Media and Democracy: Who is Controlling What You're Watching?" on May 28 at the Chula Vista Public Library. Filner had as his guest Vermont Congressman Bernie Sanders, who is labeled in Congress as an independent. Posted on Sanders' website is a February 10, 2000 Gannett News Service article which describes him as "the nation's only socialist congressman."

The library's 152-seat auditorium had an overflow crowd, so some listened to the meeting on the lawn outside, where seats and a public address system were set up. Most audience members appeared to be ardent Filner supporters. Among the audience were several Filipino veterans in uniform. On the wall behind the raised stage was a banner that read as follows: "Welcome!! Honorable Bernie Sanders, Vermont's independent Congressman of the U.S., as our special guest on [sic] today's meeting. Filipino-American World War II Veterans Constituent [sic] of Honorable Congressman Bob Filner Member of the U.S. Congress of the 50th District -- Compliments by [sic] United Filipino Veterans of America -- Prisoners of War -- VFW Post 7476 1st District, San Diego, CA."

Ostensibly the meeting was to rally opposition to the Federal Communications Commission proposal to relax media ownership rules. On June 2, the FCC approved the proposal 3-2, with the FCC's two Democratic members voting against. Those in favor of the change argued that the old restrictions had become obsolete due to the explosive growth of cable and satellite television and the Internet. Opponents argued that the change would lead to more ownership consolidation and less diversity of viewpoints. Among the opposition were some conservative elements, such as the National Rifle Association and Republican Senator Trent Lott. Sanders mentioned that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops also opposed the measure.

Filner introduced Sanders as Congress' leading expert on the issue of media ownership and control. Sanders delivered a lengthy, wide-ranging talk critical of the Bush administration. This was followed by written questions submitted by attendees and several questions from the floor. Most of the questions were presented by Filner to Sanders for response.

Sanders, Filner, and much of the audience showed consternation over the growth of conservative talk radio and the FOX News Channel and the hiring of conservative hosts by other cable television news channels. When an audience member responded that such developments were the result of the free market, Sanders responded, "I don't think that democracy and doing the things that we have to do in our country can only be market driven." He lamented the elimination of the FCC's Fairness Doctrine in 1987, which he said, ensured that if someone were attacked in the media, they would have a chance to respond, and he lauded European government-funded media such as the British Broadcasting Corporation as "fiercely politically independent."

"If you turn on talk radio in America today, the debate is between the right wing and the extreme right wing," Sanders declared. "How in God's name do you end up with talk radio only being right wing?" His view of the FOX News Channel: "No one should have any illusion that this is some kind of independent television station. This is an adjunct to the right wing of the Republican Party." News Notes reporter Allyson Smith challenged his description of FOX as "blatantly right wing" by pointing out that, on "The O'Reilly Factor," FOX host Bill O'Reilly takes liberal stands on homosexuality. When she identified herself as a News Notes reporter before making her comment, she drew boos and catcalls from audience members and someone shouted, "Shut your mouth!"

Sanders expressed concern over the psychological impact of fast-paced television on children, especially "the constant bombardment of 30-second ads." Filner was asked why he was one of only two members of Congress who voted no in May of last year on H.R. 3833, the Dot Kids Act of 2002. (The bill aimed to protect children under age 13 from pedophiles and exposure to sexually graphic content and violent material by setting up a subdomain within the Internet exclusively for websites rated as acceptable for children under age 13. The question elicited some boos from the audience and a noticeable change in Filner's countenance.

"I'll be very brief," Filner replied. "Sure, suddenly I am a child pornographer," he continued. "Why else would I have voted for that?" He then quipped, "Even Bernie was not brave enough on that one," since Sanders voted yes on the bill. Filner explained that "there were two of us" who believed that setting up a "child dot com area" of the Internet controlled by the government would entail government censorship. This drew loud applause from the audience. "My opponent in the last election -- I paid a heavy price for that vote-- which is why people don't vote in a very courageous way," Filner said. "Out of all the votes that I have voted on -- and if I could explain it, I could convince you that it was a censorship issue -- but I was portrayed as a child pornographer and people vote on the basis of that. That's why it's hard to vote in a courageous way because we are taken out of context in 30-second bites.... If I really was a child pornographer, would I vote to show that? Come on!" He subsequently indicated that he was glad to have been asked about this vote rather than to "confront it in a 30-second spot."

On the next day, May 29, the following message was left anonymously by a male caller on the News Notes voice mail line: "I heard your reporter at the Town Hall meeting last night. I didn't know you had a new whore in town." According to the News Notes voice mail screener, "There followed a stream of filth and that's when I hit erase."

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