And How Are You, Mr. Wilson?
In 1997, TV reporters Steve Wilson and Jane Akre were famously fired from a Florida Fox affiliate while they worked on a story about the alleged dangers of a Monsanto-manufactured milk additive. They claimed they were the victims of censorship. Last year, the left-libertarian journalist John Sugg reported in Reason that they weren't the martyrs they made themselves out to be—and that they were pursuing action at the FCC that really would be censorship:
Wilson's nine-year battle with the Murdoch-owned WTVT/Channel 13 in Tampa, Florida, made him a cause célèbre in media activist circles. It is now awaiting a final decision by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). If he gets his way, WTVT will lose its license because of decisions it made about content, an outcome with dire implications for freedom of the press.
The FCC handed down its decision this week. It sided against Wilson and Akre. Sugg has the details in Creative Loafing.