Require Broadcasting Stations to Give Free Airtime to Federal Candidates. This amendment to the McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill would require broadcasting stations airing criticisms of political candidates to give those candidates free airtime in the same time slots to respond to the criticisms. The amendment is a clear violation of the First Amendment protection of freedom of the press, but the extent to which it protects political incumbents is not discernable until one notices that the amendment includes no exemption if the media organ is doing the criticism itself (rather than running paid advertisements from a citizen group). As such, under this amendment conservative talk radio would be virtually co-hosted by far-left political candidates.
The Senate tabled (killed) this amendment to S. 27 on March 29, 2001 by a vote of 72-28 (Roll Call 60). We have assigned pluses to the yeas.
