The Fairness Doctrine... or Freedom of Speech?

From 1949 to 1987, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and its predecessor the Federal Radio Commission, enforced a small piece of legislation known as the Fairness Doctrine. This doctrine required that all radio broadcast stations allocate a reasonable portion of air time to the discussion of controversial issues of public importance - and that an opposing viewpoint must be given relatively equivalent air time. However, it soon became clear that this was a clear violation of the freedom of speech granted in our first amendment. The government cannot dictate or limit what is said on the news, and yet the Fairness Doctrine was in obvious violation of this. In 1987, The FCC issued this statement regarding the Fairness Doctrine:

"The intrusion by government into the content of programming occasioned by the enforcement of (the Fairness Doctrine) restricts the journalistic freedom of broadcasters ... (and) actually inhibits the presentation of controversial issues of public importance to the detriment of the public and the degradation of the editorial prerogative of broadcast journalists."

This was a very fair evaluation of the Fairness Doctrine, and in the twenty years since it has been repealed, Conservative talk radio has thrived. The irony of this situation is that it is commonly held that liberals are for the working man and his rights, yet here the facts are blatantly in violation of this idea. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), along with Representatives Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), and Louise Slaughter (D-NY) have recently publicly expressed their support for the reenactment of this law. Their view is best seen in this quote by Congressman Maurice Hinchey of New York, who said bluntly: "Right wing media must be stopped." Hmm, freedom of speech indeed. It seems to me that Democratic Congress is all for your First Amendment Rights... that is, unless it does not fit their agenda and liberal media spin propaganda.