The lefty side of the blogosphere — and the media — has done a good bit of hyperventilating about the charge that radio congolmerate Clear Channel Communications supposedly ordered a nationwide ban on playing the Dixie Chicks on the radio, depite the company’s denials. Washington Post media critic Tom Shales charged that “Clear Channel stations led a ridiculous national campaign to smear the musical group the Dixie Chicks after one of its members insulted President Bush. The group’s songs were banned on its stations for a time.” Paul Krugman stopped just short of pinning this on Clear Channel, but some left-wing news outlets have pushed the story. The argument goes that the network’s reach shows the evil of media concentration, and Clear Channel has been Exhibit A in the case against FCC deregulation of media ownership.
I hadn’t followed this story all that carefully, but then I stumbled accross an interesting fact. You know what company is the promoter of the Dixie Chicks’ current concert tour?
That’s right: Clear Channel Entertainment.
This isn’t exactly a secret; Clear Channel has touted the success of the Chicks’ tour to the business press, and you can go to the company’s website to buy tickets to their shows.
Moral: maybe you should distrust what you hear on the radio, but don’t believe everything you read, either.