Congress Reconsiders the Fairness Doctrine (And why they shouldn't reinsate it)

Associated Content ^ | Feb 22, 2009 | Pricilla King

[Syncro]

Congress Reconsiders the Fairness Doctrine

February 22, 2009

by Priscilla King

Should TV and Radio Be Free to Broadcast Political Content?

In 1949, the FCC adopted a rule called the Fairness Doctrine, which required broadcasters to give "equal time" to all sides of a political dispute. Like many efforts to create fairness by imposing "equality," this policy never worked in the way that was intended. Even when the Communist Party,... didn't demand time to broadcast their views, in practice it turned out that the mainstream parties could not always present equally successful broadcasts. If a successful Democrat's show couldn't be "balanced" by an equally successful Republican's show, the most commercially viable decision for the broadcaster was to replace both shows with yet another hour of popular songs.

The effect of the Fairness Doctrine was that most radio and TV stations simply banned shows with overtly political content. While conservatives complained that left-wing media personalities had become far too skilled at injecting political bias into what passed for music, drama, comedy, and even news shows, liberals complained that sponsors were censoring any full or fair presentation of left-wing views, and intellectuals complained that, rather than encouraging fair discussion, the commercial media were broadcasting nothing with substantial political or factual content of any kind.

In 1987, the Fairness Doctrine was repealed, and even daytime radio and TV shows were free to present detailed discussions of news events. The most obvious result was the rise of "talk show" superstars who did not merely moderate call-in "straw votes" or recite news headlines, but actually tried to discuss and analyze news events on the air. Rush Limbaugh and Oprah...

[gwilhelm56]

My ..CongressIDIOT has stated outright that NPR is FAIR and BALANCED and has NO NEED to be Considered.

but then, this is the same Idiot that came on a RIGHTWING Talk station, and Connected enough dots to BLAME the HOST for Causing 9/11.

And in my County .. he’s a Moderate.

[gwilhelm56]

Repealing the “””””fairness doctrine””” for the libs was fine... until it gave birth to ....RUSH!!! They’ve hated it ever since.

To the HATERS.. which part of ..”CONGRESS SHALL MAKE NO LAW” do you Orwellian THOUGHT POLICE not Understand???

[Syncro]

And I saw an interview with Helen Thomas the other day where she said she has never seen another liberal news person, that she is all alone in the category.

These people have seared brains.

It's amazing how many liberals say that the media is almost 100% slanted towards conservatives.

Give me a break, tingle tingle little Chrissie Matthews, how I wonder what you are.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

It should be referred to as “censorship in the form of the UNFAIR “Fairness Doctrine”.

It should be called what it is - butting in on your right to listen to what you wanna.

[Kackikat]

Yes, that too.