What's so fair about the "Fairness Doctrine"?

Question

Why do people want the government to control what you see and hear? To whom does it apply? Who decides what information is required to make something "fair?" Don't PEOPLE have the right to free speech, rather than political parties or individual opinions? An opinion is not a person!

If people don't watch or listen, the show will be cancelled. What's wrong with letting the people decide?

Ate we living in the old Soviet Union?

Answer 1

There is nothing at all fair about the "Fairness Doctrine" It is a direct assault on Conservative talk radio. The liberals cannot compete because no one wants to listen to it. (Air America was getting donations to keep it afloat and still went bankrupt, conservative programs actually make money)
The Liberals believe that PBS and NPR are not biased so that should tell you what the base line to measure what is considered conservative and needs to be balanced with equal time.
If the fairness doctrine was truly fair PBS, NPR, NBC, CBS and ABC would be included in the list of what needed to be balanced with equal time from Conservatives

Answer 2

Um... the "fairness doctrine" was eliminated in the 1980s. It was an FCC mandate that, basically, if you offered an opinion related to a matter of public concern, "fairness" required equal time to the other side. Some people thought it worked fairly welll; others argued that it just made stations back away from controversial issues. (And, of course, it pretty much only applied to over-the-air radio and network TV stations, since that's all there was in the 50s through 70s.) It was eliminated in the 80s.

So I don't know what you're talking about.
There ARE a few rules regarding broadcasting campaign ads on TV (equal amount of time must be made available to the opponent at similar rate, etc.) But the Government is largely out of trying to make the media "fair."

Are you talking about the FCC "decency" rules, which regulate the content of prime-time shows? (Those regulations are based upon the idea that the FCC can regulate beyond the bounds of the First Amendment because (a) Stations are using a public resource, the limited electromagnetic spectrum, or "airwaves", and (b) Because TV shows are "pushed' into people's homes, there's no way to avoid nasty content that you don't want your children to hear (i.e. George Carlin's "Seven Dirty Words" skit on Pacifica a few decades ago).
And under these GOP-led FCC commissions, they have been MUCH more active in policing decency (i.e. "Nipplegate" from the super bowl). I disagree with that, but probably agree that, at least for broadcast TV, the FCC is within their rights.

What's wrong with letting the people decide is that, right now, broadcasting is still a "push" technology, which means that people have pretty much no way to avoid nasty content ahead of time if their children are watching.

I don't know what other "fairness doctrine" you may be referring to. E-mail me if you have questions.

Answer 3

The fairness doctrine is just another under handed attempt to silence talk radio, just imagine if you could get most of the liberals off of YA look how much intelligent opinions could be posted and it would probably improve.

Liberals tried to compete with conservative talk radio and they where found lacking. usually because they are depressing and lack logic.
So when it comes down to nuts and bolts the only way liberalism can survive is by being forced on people or eliminating the competition.

Answer 4

I have a tendency to lean left, yet I completely agree. we do not want a doctrine or regulations declaring what radio courses can or can't exist. If liberal human beings want a radio software then they ought to attempt to make one or petition the radio agencies. If conservatives want the newspapers to be more effective conservative then do an same. human beings want to ***** and whinge about issues and want the authorities to restoration it. some issues in a loose marketplace will restoration themselves if their is adequate call for. i think like there are many more effective major issues for the lawmakers to fret about than communicate radio shows.

Answer 5

Nothing is "fair" about it...

which is why many Dems like it....