Opinion ID: 308173
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Personal Attack Principle

Text: 58 It was clear to the Commission, as it was to Examiner Irion, that WXUR repeatedly violated the personal attack principle. 69 This was in spite of specific instructions from the Commission to Brandywine at the time that the initial transfer application was approved. This court need not recount these violations seriatim as the Commission has already done so for us. 70 The Commission continued by noting that the Examiner had found additional attacks, as to which no exceptions were taken by Brandywine; however, the Commission found it unnecessary to adopt all of the Examiner's findings in this respect, because recitation of indisputable examples is sufficient. 71 59 Subsequent to the attacks in issue in the case at bar the personal attack principle was codified into a formal rule. 72 Under the terms of the rule the Commission exempted bona-fide newscasts, bona-fide interviews, and on-the-spot coverage of bona-fide news events from the earlier reply requirements of the principle. Examination discloses that none of these exemptions prove applicable to the attacks broadcast by Brandywine and hence, Brandywine was . . . obligated to comply with the personal attack principle in regard to each one of the personal attacks. 73 In each case the Commission found that Brandywine failed to give notice to the party attacked as required; they failed to send the required copies of transcripts, tapes or summaries; and similarly, they failed to offer an opportunity to reply to the aggrieved party as required. More dispositive, however, was the fact that: 60 Brandywine had not established any procedures to insure compliance. (Tr. 1662-1670.) For example, Brandywine did not arrange to know either before or at the time of broadcast whether a given broadcast contained any personal attacks. (Ibid.) Brandywine was therefore incapable of sending transcripts, tapes or summaries of the broadcasts to those attacked either prior to or at the time of the broadcast. 74 61