I need info on the fairness doctrine

[romantico]

I'm trying top explain to a friend what the fairness doctrine is & so on. Not sure where to start. Anyone have a link (or an easy explanation)I can provide? Many thanks!

[lady lib]

1. Here you go

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairness_Doctrine

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0212-03.htm

http://www.sustainer.org/dhm_archive/search.php?display_article=vn209fairnessed

http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/F/htmlF/fairnessdoct/fairnessdoct.htm

[bryant69]

2. Conservative Friend?

The Fairness doctrine require balanced views - if you provide one side of the issue you have to provide the other (on the theory that since the airwaves belong to us all, we should all have a voice on them). The conservative argument is that it's hard to figure out how to balance views, and that if you do that, you basically eliminate all views. There's also some crap about "Well it's jut a ploy to get Rush Limbaugh off the air, because no radio station wants to lose money by puttin Air America on the air"

Bryant
check it out--> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[flamin lib]

3. The fairness doctrine no longer exists. Reagan destroyed it

by stacking the FCC with RW Republicans.

Briefly, prior to Reagan, the FCC held that because the airwaves were public property used by broadcasters the broadcasters had a responsibility to the public to present equal time to each side of any public policy issue. Under the new rules, that is no longer required.

This gave rise to the Right Wing talk radio phenomenon.

If the media really were biased to the left, the Fairness Doctrine would be good for the right. It clearly isn't liberally biased as shown by the Right's reluctance to reinstate it.

[KharmaTrain]

4. Pull Out A Dollar Bill

There's the current "fair and balanced" in corporate media.

To the OP:

Discussing the fairness doctrine is like discussing the Dred Scott decision. As the poster above noted, the doctrine was destroyed in 1986 by Raygun and was even further watered down in the 90's (yes, under Clinton) by extending license renewal periods and eliminating any programming requirements (including news).

The question I ask these days is what constitutes "bias"? Everyone throws the term around but is that spin or just another buzzword?