Leftists Trying To SHUT OUT Conservative Media From Covering Presidential Elections

Examiner via IJR.com via The Federalist Pages Project ^ | October 2,2016 | 

In a ruling clearly aimed at Fox News and other conservative media, the Federal Elections Commission is trying to ban media outlets with any foreign ownership from covering presidential races or even giving endorsements.
A top Democrat on the evenly-split split board proposed that the group begin the process of prohibiting companies with foreign ownership as small as 5 percent from “funding expenditures, independent expenditures, or electioneering communications.”
If approved, the plan would cover Fox News, The Wall Street Journal – and as collateral damage, the New York Times, from participating in the elections process by covering or endorsing candidates, The Washington Examiner is reporting.
Democratic Commissioner Ellen Weintraub said in her submission, “Given everything we have learned this year, it blinks reality to suggest that that there is no risk of foreign nationals taking advantage of current loopholes to intercede invisibly in American elections. This is a risk no member of the Federal Election Commission should be willing to tolerate.”
Under her proposal, any entity that has more than 5 percent foreign ownership would be banned from advocating for a candidate’s election or defeat.
Not only would this prohibit major conservative media from becoming involved, but politically active companies like Ben & Jerry’s would also be prohibited.
The Examiner reports that one analysis even suggests that these media might not even be permitted from mentioning candidates like Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton.
Democrats on the commission have been on a three-year campaign to limit the voice of conservative media, stopped by Republican commissioners who have warned that the First Amendment is under attack in the FEC.