(CNSNews.com) - Academy Award-nominated actor William H. Macy told CNSNews.com that the government should not regulate talk radio so it is “balanced” -- with some variant of a Fairness Doctrine or local ownership rules -- because “this is America” and “you can say anything you want.” He also said the average American is “smarter than all the politicians.”
“Absolutely not. This is America. You can say anything you want,” Macy told CNSNews.com at the White House Correspondent’s dinner when asked whether the content of talk radio should be regulated by the government for political balance.
“I think it’s fair that if you say stuff that’s not true and it hurts people, you can have a suit filed against you, but I think the courts can deal with that and perhaps the government has the right to file a civil suit for libel, but no, this is America,” said Macy. “Everybody gets to say everything they want. This is America. The Nazi’s have to be able to march in Skokie [Illinois] because this is America -- and criticizing the government is not anti-American. It couldn’t be more American.”
When it comes to the state of today’s media, Macy said: “Well, I worry a little bit about the demise of newspapers because I think our country depends on investigative reporting and we’ve got – I believe our country is as free as it is because there are a lot of people looking for the skeletons in the closet and that keeps us free.”
“By the same token, I think the press has a responsibility to report fairly and I find reporting on both the left and the right, which is so skewed and with such an agenda to be a disservice,” he said. “It’s a disservice to their readers because they are not really reporting the news. They are trying to proselytize, and I don’t think it’s right. But thank God we live in America where the average American is smarter than all the politicians the best day they were born. America’s smart. We can see through these guys. We can smell the jive as they’re talking.”
When asked if he thinks the White House press coverage has been fair, too hard, or too easy on President Obama, Macy replied, “I think the honeymoon is over and he will be judged harshly.”
William H. Macy is an Academy Award-nominated, double Emmy-winning and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning American actor. Macy is well-known for his starring roles in Fargo and Wild Hogs alongside John Travolta and Martin Lawrence. He has also acted in many others films such as Jurassic Park III, Air Force One and Pleasantville.