View source for Fairness doctrine

{{Short description|Former US broadcasting policy (1949-87)}}
{{For|the concept of sovereign immunity|Feres doctrine}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2022}}
The '''fairness doctrine''' of the United States [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC), introduced in 1949, was a policy that required the holders of [[broadcast license]]s both to present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that fairly reflected differing viewpoints.<ref>{{Cite web|title=''CBS v. Democratic Nat'l Committee'', 412 U.S. 94 (1973)|url=https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/412/94/|access-date=November 17, 2021|website=Justia Law}}</ref> In 1987, the FCC abolished the fairness doctrine,<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Fletcher |first1=Dan |date=February 20, 2009 |title=A Brief History of the Fairness Doctrine |url=http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1880786,00.html |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=October 10, 2021 |quote=It's as predictable as Rush Limbaugh sparking a controversy: every few years, someone in Congress brings up the Fairness Doctrine. In 1987 the FCC abolished the policy, which dictates that public broadcast license-holders have a duty to present important issues to the public and — here's the 'fairness' part — to give multiple perspectives while doing so.}}</ref> prompting some to urge its reintroduction through either Commission policy or congressional legislation.<ref>Clark, Drew (October 20, 2004). [http://www.slate.com/id/2108443/ "How Fair Is Sinclair's Doctrine?"]. ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]''.</ref> The FCC removed the rule that implemented the policy from the ''[[Federal Register]]'' in August 2011.<ref name="Finally">{{cite web|last=Boliek|first=Brooks|title=FCC finally kills off fairness doctrine|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2011/08/fcc-finally-kills-off-fairness-doctrine-061851|work=[[Politico]]|date=August 22, 2011}}</ref>

The fairness doctrine had two basic elements: It required broadcasters to devote some of their airtime to discussing controversial matters of [[public interest]], and to air contrasting views regarding those matters. Stations were given wide latitude as to how to provide contrasting views: It could be done through news segments, public affairs shows, or editorials. The doctrine did not require equal time for opposing views but required that contrasting viewpoints be presented. The demise of this FCC rule has been cited as a contributing factor in the rising level of [[Polarization (politics)|party polarization]] [[Political polarization in the United States |in the United States]].<ref>[[Thomas E. Patterson|E. Patterson, Thomas]] (2013). "The News Media: Communicating Political Images". ''We the People''. 10th ed. McGraw-Hill Education: 336.</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Rendall |first=Steve |title=The Fairness Doctrine: How We Lost it, and Why We Need it Back |work=[[Extra!]] |date=January 1, 2005 |url=http://fair.org/extra/the-fairness-doctrine/ |access-date=October 2, 2017}}</ref>

While the original purpose of the doctrine was to ensure that viewers were exposed to a diversity of viewpoints, it was used by both the Kennedy and later the Johnson administration to combat political opponents operating on talk radio. In 1969 the [[Supreme Court of the United States|United States Supreme Court]], in ''[[Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. FCC]]'', upheld the FCC's general right to enforce the fairness doctrine where channels were limited. However, the court did not rule that the FCC was ''obliged'' to do so.<ref name=RedLion>[http://www.epic.org/free_speech/red_lion.html ''Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. FCC''], decided June 8, 1969, also at {{Ussc|395|367|1969}} (Excerpt from majority opinion, III A; Senate report cited in footnote 26). Justice [[William O. Douglas]] did not participate in the decision, but there were no concurring or dissenting opinions.</ref> The courts reasoned that the scarcity of the broadcast spectrum, which limited the opportunity for access to the airwaves, created a need for the doctrine.

The fairness doctrine is not the same as the [[equal-time rule]], which is still in place. The fairness doctrine deals with discussion of controversial issues, while the equal-time rule deals only with political candidates.

==Origins==
{{See|Mayflower doctrine}}

In 1938, Lawrence J. Flynn, a former Yankee Network employee, challenged the license of John Shepard III's WAAB in Boston, and lodged a complaint about WNAC. Flynn asserted that these stations were being used to air one-sided political viewpoints and broadcast attacks, including editorials, against local and federal politicians that Shepard opposed. The FCC requested that Shepard provide details about these programs. To appease the commission, the Yankee Network agreed to drop the editorials. 

Flynn created a company called Mayflower Broadcasting and tried to get the FCC to award him WAAB's license. The FCC refused. In 1941, the commission made a ruling that came to be known as the Mayflower Decision, which declared that radio stations, due to their public interest obligations, must remain neutral in matters of news and politics, and they were not allowed to give editorial support to any particular political position or candidate.

In 1949, the FCC's Editorializing Report<ref>''Report of the Commission in the Matter of Editorializing by Broadcast Licensees'', 13 F.C.C. 1246 [1949].</ref> repealed the [[Mayflower doctrine]], which since 1941 had forbidden on-air editorializing. This laid the foundation for the fairness doctrine, by reaffirming the FCC's holding that licensees must not use their stations "for the private interest, whims or caprices [of licensees], but in a manner which will serve the community generally."<ref>''Report&nbsp;... Licensees'', 13 F.C.C. 1246, 1248-9.</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title = America's Battle for Media Democracy: The Triumph of Corporate Libertarianism and the Future of Media Reform|last = Pickard |first = Victor |author-link=Victor Pickard (professor) |publisher = Cambridge University Press|year = 2015|isbn = 9781107694750|location = New York, NY}}</ref> 

The FCC Report established two forms of regulation on broadcasters: to provide adequate coverage of public issues, and to ensure that coverage fairly represented opposing views.<ref>Jung, D.L. (1996), ''The Federal Communications Commission, the Broadcast Industry, and the Fairness Doctrine 1981–1987'', New York: University Press of America, Inc.</ref> The second rule required broadcasters to provide reply time to issue-oriented citizens. Broadcasters could therefore trigger fairness doctrine complaints without editorializing. The commission required neither of the fairness doctrine's obligations before 1949. Until then broadcasters had to satisfy only general "public interest" standards of the Communications Act.<ref>Donahue, H. (1988). ''The Battle to Control Broadcast News''. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press</ref>

The doctrine remained a matter of general policy and was applied on a case-by-case basis until 1967,<ref>Memorandum Opinion and Order, 8 F.C.C.2d 721 (August 7, 1967), which codified the personal attack doctrine and implemented provisions with respect to political editorials from Times-Mirror Broadcasting Co., 40 F.C.C. 531, 538 (1962); codified as 32 Fed. Reg. 10303 at para. 4 (1967). This was amended twice in Memorandum Opinion and Order, 9 F.C.C.2d 539 (1967) and Memorandum Opinion and Order, 12 F.C.C.2d 250 (1968).</ref> when certain provisions of the doctrine were incorporated into FCC regulations.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Donald P. |last=Mullally |title=The Fairness Doctrine: Benefits and Costs |journal=[[Public Opinion Quarterly]] |volume=33 |issue=4 |year=1969 |pages=577–582 |doi=10.1086/267746 |jstor=2747567 }}</ref>

In 1969, the [[United States courts of appeals]], in an opinion written by [[Warren Burger]], directed the FCC to revoke Lamar Broadcasting's license for television station [[WLBT]] due to the station's segregationist politics and ongoing censorship of NBC network news coverage of the U.S. civil rights movement.<ref>[http://www.democracynow.org/2008/3/6/the_fcc_censorship_legendary_media_activist "The FCC & Censorship: Legendary Media Activist Everett Parker on the Revocation of WLBT's TV License in the 1960s for Shutting Out Voices of the Civil Rights Movement"], ''[[Democracy Now!]]'', March 6, 2008.</ref>

== Application of the doctrine by the FCC ==
In 1974, the Federal Communications Commission stated that the [[United States Congress|Congress]] had delegated the power to mandate a system of "access, either free or paid, for person or groups wishing to express a viewpoint on a controversial public issue" but that it had not yet exercised that power because licensed broadcasters had "voluntarily" complied with the "spirit" of the doctrine. It warned that: {{cquote|Should future experience indicate that the doctrine [of 'voluntary compliance'] is inadequate, either in its expectations or in its results, the Commission will have the opportunity—and the responsibility—for such further reassessment and action as would be mandated.<ref>''In the Matter of the Handling of Public Issues Under the Fairness Doctrine and the Public Interest Standards of the Communications Act'', 48 F.C.C.2d 1 (F.C.C. 1974); 39 Fed. Reg. 26.372, 26.374 (1974)</ref>}}

In one landmark case, the FCC argued that [[teletext]] was a new technology that created soaring demand for a limited resource, and thus could be exempt from the fairness doctrine. The Telecommunications Research and Action Center (TRAC) and [[Media Access Project]] (MAP) argued that teletext transmissions should be regulated like any other airwave technology, hence the fairness doctrine was applicable, and must be enforced by the FCC. In 1986, Judges [[Robert Bork]] and [[Antonin Scalia]] of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit]] concluded that the fairness doctrine did apply to teletext, but that the FCC was not required to apply it.<ref>[http://www.altlaw.org/v1/cases/419289 ''Telecommunications Research and Action Center v. FCC'', 801 F.2d 501 (D.C. Cir. 1986)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081023171340/http://www.altlaw.org/v1/cases/419289 |date=October 23, 2008 }}. Retrieved August 17, 2008.</ref>&nbsp; In a 1987 case, ''[[Meredith Corporation|Meredith Corp.]] v. FCC'', two other judges on the same court declared that Congress did not mandate the doctrine and the FCC did not have to continue to enforce it.<ref>[http://www.altlaw.org/v1/cases/421421 ''Meredith Corp. v. FCC'', 809 F.2d 863 (D.C. Cir. 1987)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007150336/http://www.altlaw.org/v1/cases/421421 |date=October 7, 2008 }}, February 10, 1987, Retrieved August 17, 2008.</ref>

==Decisions of the United States Supreme Court==
In ''[[Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. FCC]]'', {{Ussc|395|367|1969}}, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld, by a vote of 8–0, the constitutionality of the fairness doctrine in a case of an on-air personal attack, in response to challenges that the doctrine violated the [[First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution]]. The case began when journalist [[Fred J. Cook]], after the publication of his ''Goldwater: Extremist of the Right'', was the topic of discussion by [[Billy James Hargis]] on his daily ''Christian Crusade'' radio broadcast on [[WLCH (AM)|WGCB]] in [[Red Lion, Pennsylvania]]. Cook sued arguing that the fairness doctrine entitled him to free air time to respond to the personal attacks.<ref>Tom Joyce: [http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:YDRB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0FAE0731EA2EE1CD&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&req_dat=11ECDBF131F44C689BB0EDBA11D99EE0 "His call for a reply set up historic broadcast ruling; Fred J. Cook, whose book was attacked on Red Lion radio station WGCB in 1964, died recently at age 92"]. ''[[York Daily Record]]'' (Pennsylvania), May 6, 2003. Retrieved August 17, 2008.</ref>

Although similar laws are unconstitutional when applied to the press, the court cited a [[United States Senate|Senate]] report (S. Rep. No. 562, 86th Cong., 1st Sess., 8-9 [1959]) stating that radio stations could be regulated in this way because of the limited public airwaves at the time. Writing for the court, Justice [[Byron White]] declared:{{cquote|A license permits broadcasting, but the licensee has no constitutional right to be the one who holds the license or to monopolize a radio frequency to the exclusion of his fellow citizens. There is nothing in the First Amendment which prevents the Government from requiring a licensee to share his frequency with others.&nbsp;... It is the right of the viewers and listeners, not the right of the broadcasters, which is paramount.<ref name=RedLion />}}

The court did not see how the fairness doctrine went against the First Amendment's goal of creating an informed public. The fairness doctrine required that those who were talked about be given chance to respond to the statements made by broadcasters. The court believed that this helped create a more informed public. Justice White explained that, without this doctrine, station owners would only have people on the air who agreed with their opinions. Throughout his opinion, Justice White argued that radio frequencies, and by extension, television stations, should be used to educate listeners, or viewers, about controversial issues in a way that is fair and non-biased so that they can create their own opinions.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|last=Kramer|first=Daniel C.|title=''Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. Federal Communications Commission'' (1969)|url=https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/117/red-lion-broadcasting-co-v-federal-communications-commission |access-date=November 19, 2020|encyclopedia=The First Amendment Encyclopedia}}</ref> 

In 1969, the court "ruled unanimously that the Fairness Doctrine was not only constitutional, but essential to democracy. The public airwaves should not just express the opinions of those who can pay for air time; they must allow the electorate to be informed about all sides of controversial issues."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bring Back the Fairness Doctrine|url=http://donellameadows.org/archives/bring-back-the-fairness-doctrine/|access-date=November 19, 2020|website=The Academy for Systems Change}}</ref> The court also warned that if the doctrine ever restrained speech, then its constitutionality should be reconsidered. Justice [[William O. Douglas]] did not participate, but later wrote that he would have dissented because the Constitutional guarantee of [[Freedom of the press]] was absolute.<ref>{{cite web |title=CBS v, Democratic National Committee |url=https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/412/94/ |website=Justia |access-date=18 August 2022}}</ref>

However, in the case of ''[[Miami Herald Publishing Co. v. Tornillo]]'', {{Ussc|418|241|1974}}, [[Chief Justice of the United States|Chief Justice]] [[Warren Burger]] wrote (for a unanimous court):{{cquote|Government-enforced right of access inescapably dampens the vigor and limits the variety of public debate.}}
This decision differs from ''Red Lion v. FCC'' in that it applies to a newspaper, which, unlike a broadcaster, is unlicensed and can theoretically face an unlimited number of competitors.

In 1984, the Supreme Court ruled that Congress could not forbid editorials by non-profit stations that received grants from the [[Corporation for Public Broadcasting]] (''FCC v. [[League of Women Voters]] of California'', {{Ussc|468|364|1984}}). The court's 5-4 majority decision by [[William J. Brennan Jr.]] stated that while many now considered that expanding sources of communication had made the fairness doctrine's limits unnecessary: {{cquote|We are not prepared, however, to reconsider our longstanding approach without some signal from Congress or the FCC that technological developments have advanced so far that some revision of the system of broadcast regulation may be required. (footnote 11)}}
After noting that the FCC was considering repealing the fairness doctrine rules on editorials and personal attacks out of fear that those rules might be "chilling speech", the court added: {{cquote|Of course, the Commission may, in the exercise of its discretion, decide to modify or abandon these rules, and we express no view on the legality of either course. As we recognized in Red Lion, however, were it to be shown by the Commission that the fairness doctrine '[has] the net effect of reducing rather than enhancing' speech, we would then be forced to reconsider the constitutional basis of our decision in that case. (footnote 12)<ref>The quotation is from Section III C of ''Red Lion v. FCC'' {{Ussc|395|367|1969}}. Justice Brennan's opinion was joined by Justices [[Thurgood Marshall]], [[Harry Blackmun]], [[Lewis F. Powell, Jr.|Lewis Powell]] and [[Sandra Day O'Connor]]. Dissenting opinions were written or joined by Chief Justice [[Warren Burger]] and Justices [[William Rehnquist]], [[Byron White]] and [[John Paul Stevens]].</ref>}}

==Use as a political weapon==
The fairness doctrine has been used by various administrations to harass political opponents on the radio. [[Bill Ruder]], Assistant Secretary of Commerce in the Kennedy administration, acknowledged that "Our massive strategy [in the early 1960s] was to use the Fairness Doctrine to challenge and harass right-wing broadcasters and hope that the challenges would be so costly to them that they would be inhibited and decide it was too expensive to continue."<ref>Friendly (1976, p. 39).</ref> Former Kennedy FCC staffer Martin Firestone wrote a memo to the [[Democratic National Committee]] on strategies to combat small rural radio stations unfriendly to Democrats:

<blockquote>The right-wingers operate on a strictly cash basis and it is for this reason that they are carried by so many small stations. Were our efforts to be continued on a year-round basis, we would find that many of these stations would consider the broadcasts of these programs bothersome and burdensome (especially if they are ultimately required to give us free time) and would start dropping the programs from their broadcast schedule.<ref>Friendly (1976, p. 42).</ref></blockquote>

Democratic Party operatives were deeply involved in the Red Lion case since the start of the litigation. Wayne Phillips, a [[Democratic National Committee]] staffer described the aftermath of the ruling, explaining that "Even more important than the free radio time was the effectiveness of this operation in inhibiting the political activity of these right-wing broadcasts".<ref>Friendly (1976, p. 41).</ref>

The use of the fairness doctrine by the National Council for Civic Responsibility (NCCR) was to force right-wing radio stations to air rebuttals against the opinions expressed on their radio stations.<ref>Friendly (1976, esp. pp. 10, 39-40).</ref>

== Revocation ==
=== Basic doctrine ===
In 1985, under FCC Chairman [[Mark S. Fowler]], a communications attorney who had served on [[Ronald Reagan]]'s presidential campaign staff in 1976 and 1980, the FCC released its report on ''General Fairness Doctrine Obligations''<ref>''General Fairness Doctrine Obligations of Broadcast Licensees'', Report, 50 Fed. Reg. 35418 (1985)</ref> stating that the doctrine hurt the public interest and violated [[free speech]] rights guaranteed by the [[First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution|First Amendment]]. The commission could not, however, come to a determination as to whether the doctrine had been enacted by Congress through its 1959 Amendment to Section 315 of the [[Communications Act of 1934|Communications Act]].

In response to the 1986 ''Telecommunications Research & Action Center v. F.C.C.'' decision,<ref>801 F.2d 501 (D.C. Cir. 1986), ''rehearing denied'', 806 F.2d 1115 (D.C. Cir. 1986), ''cert. denied'', 107 S.Ct. 3196 (1987).</ref> the [[99th Congress]] directed<ref>Making Continuing Appropriations for Fiscal Year 1987, P.L. 99-500. See also, ''Conference Report to Accompany H.J.Res. 738'', H.Rept. 99-1005. 99th Cong., 2d Sess. (1986).</ref> the FCC to examine alternatives to the fairness doctrine and to submit a report to Congress on the subject.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R40009.pdf | publisher=Congressional Research Service | date=July 13, 2011 | access-date=May 10, 2016 |title=Fairness Doctrine: History and Constitutional Issues}}</ref> In 1987, in ''Meredith Corporation v. F.C.C.'' the case was returned to the FCC with a directive to consider whether the doctrine had been "self-generated pursuant to its general congressional authorization or specifically mandated by Congress."<ref>809 F.2d 863 (D.C. Cir. 1987) at 872.</ref>

The FCC opened an inquiry inviting public comment on alternative means for administrating and enforcing the fairness doctrine.<ref>''Inquiry into Section 73.1910 of the Commission's Rules and Regulations Concerning Alternatives to the General Fairness Doctrine Obligations of Broadcast Licensees in MM Docket No. 97-26'', 2 FCC Rcd 1532 (1987).</ref> In its 1987 report, the alternatives—including abandoning a case-by-case enforcement approach, replacing the doctrine with open access time for all members of the public, doing away with the [[personal attack rule]], and eliminating certain other aspects of the doctrine—were rejected by the FCC for various reasons.<ref>''In the Matter of Inquiry into Section 73.1910 of the Commission's Rules and Regulations Concerning Alternatives to the General Fairness Doctrine Obligations of Broadcast Licensees''. 2 FCC Rcd 5272 (1987).</ref>

On August 4, 1987, under FCC Chairman [[Dennis R. Patrick]], the FCC abolished the doctrine by a 4–0 vote, in the ''Syracuse Peace Council'' decision,<ref><!-- ''In re Complaint of Syracuse Peach Council against Television Station WTVH Syracuse, New York'', 2 FCC Rcd 5043 (1987)-->{{cite Q|Q112043674}}</ref> which was upheld by a panel of the Appeals Court for the D.C. Circuit in February 1989, though the court stated in their decision that they made "that determination without reaching the constitutional issue."<ref name="syacuse_fcc">{{cite web | url=http://openjurist.org/867/f2d/654/syracuse-peace-council-v-federal-communications-commission | title=867 F. 2d 654 - ''Syracuse Peace Council v. Federal Communications Commission'' | publisher=Openjurist | date=February 10, 1989 | volume=F2d | issue=867 | page=654 | access-date=December 7, 2014 | quote=Under the 'fairness doctrine,' the Federal Communications Commission has, as its 1985 Fairness Report explains, required broadcast media licensees (1) 'to provide coverage of vitally important controversial issues of interest in the community served by the licensees' and (2) 'to provide a reasonable opportunity for the presentation of contrasting viewpoints on such issues.' Report Concerning General Fairness Doctrine Obligations of Broadcast Licensees, 102 F.C.C. 2d 143, 146 (1985). In adjudication of a complaint against Meredith Corporation, licensee of station [[WTVH]] in Syracuse, New York, the Commission concluded that the doctrine did not serve the public interest and was unconstitutional. Accordingly it refused to enforce the doctrine against Meredith. Although the Commission somewhat entangled its public interest and constitutional findings, we find that the Commission's public interest determination was an independent basis for its decision and was supported by the record. We uphold that determination without reaching the constitutional issue.| last=Circuit | first=District of Columbia }}</ref> The FCC suggested in ''Syracuse Peace Council'' that because of the many media voices in the marketplace, the doctrine be deemed unconstitutional, stating that: {{cquote|The intrusion by government into the content of programming occasioned by the enforcement of [the fairness doctrine] restricts the journalistic freedom of broadcasters&nbsp;... [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.}}

At the 4–0 vote, Chairman Patrick said:{{cquote|We seek to extend to the electronic press the same First Amendment guarantees that the print media have enjoyed since our country's inception.<ref name="vote1987">{{cite news |last1=Hershey Jr. |first1=Robert D. |title=F.C.C. Votes Down Fairness Doctrine in a 4-0 Decision |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/05/arts/fcc-votes-down-fairness-doctrine-in-a-4-0-decision.html |access-date=October 28, 2018 |work=FCC Video |agency=[[The New York Times]] |issue=FCC 1987 |publisher=[[NBCUniversal]] |date=August 5, 1987 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316054128/http://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/05/arts/fcc-votes-down-fairness-doctrine-in-a-4-0-decision.html |archive-date=March 16, 2012 |quote=Today we reaffirm our faith in the American people.  Our faith in their ability to distinguish between fact and fiction without any help from government.}} [http://www.nbcuniversalarchives.com/nbcuni/clip/5112536677_002.do Alt URL]</ref>}}

Sitting commissioners at the time of the vote were:<ref>[https://www.fcc.gov/general/commissioners-1934-present Commissioners from 1934 to Present]</ref><ref>[https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1594/m1/48/?q=wtvh FCC Record, Volume 2, No. 17, Pages 5002 to 5398, August 17–28, 1987]</ref>

* [[Dennis R. Patrick]], chairman, Republican<br />(Named an FCC commissioner by Ronald Reagan in 1983)
* [[Mimi Weyforth Dawson]], Republican<br />(Named an FCC commissioner by Ronald Reagan in 1986)
* [[Patricia Diaz Dennis]], Democrat<br />(Named an FCC commissioner by Ronald Reagan in 1986)
* [[James Henry Quello]], Democrat<br />(Named an FCC commissioner by Richard M. Nixon in 1974)

The FCC vote was opposed by members of Congress who said the FCC had tried to "flout the will of Congress" and the decision was "wrongheaded, misguided and illogical".<ref name=vote1987 /> The decision drew political fire, and cooperation with Congress was one issue.<ref>Salmans, Sandra (September 20, 1987). [https://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/20/business/regulator-unregulated-dennis-patrick-fcc-another-man-who-loves-free-markets.html "Regulator Unregulated: Dennis Patrick; At the FCC, Another Man Who Loves Free Markets"]. ''The New York Times''.</ref> In June 1987, Congress attempted to preempt the FCC decision and codify the fairness doctrine,<ref>The Fairness in Broadcasting Act of 1987, S. 742 & H.R. 1934, 100th Cong., 1st Sess. (1987)</ref> but the legislation was vetoed by President [[Ronald Reagan]]. In 1991, another attempt to revive the doctrine was stopped when President [[George H. W. Bush]] threatened another veto.<ref>Limburg, Val E. (April 27, 2009). [http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/F/htmlF/fairnessdoct/fairnessdoct.htm "Fairness Doctrine"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041022073709/http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/F/htmlF/fairnessdoct/fairnessdoct.htm |date=October 22, 2004 }}. [[Museum of Broadcast Communications]].</ref>

In February 2009, Fowler said that his work toward revoking the fairness doctrine under the Reagan administration had been a matter of principle, his belief that the doctrine impinged upon the First Amendment, not partisanship. Fowler described the White House staff raising concerns, at a time before the prominence of conservative talk radio and during the preeminence of the [[Big Three television networks]] and PBS in political discourse, that repealing the policy would be politically unwise. He described the staff's position as saying to Reagan: {{cquote|The only thing that really protects you from the savageness of the three networks{{mdash}}every day they would savage Ronald Reagan{{mdash}}is the Fairness Doctrine, and Fowler is proposing to repeal it!<ref name="Fowler-Levin;">[http://citadelcc.vo.llnwd.net/o29/network/Levin/MP3/levin02162009.mp3 "unknown"]. ''[[The Mark Levin Show]]''. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326135550/http://citadelcc.vo.llnwd.net/o29/network/Levin/MP3/levin02162009.mp3 |date=March 26, 2009 }}, February 16, 2009. (a 26-megabyte [[MP3]] file), from about 17 minutes 15 seconds into the broadcast to 25 min. 45 sec. </ref>}}

=== Conservative talk radio ===
The 1987 repeal of the fairness doctrine enabled the rise of talk radio that has been described as "unfiltered", divisive and/or vicious: "In 1988, a savvy former ABC Radio executive named Ed McLaughlin signed [[Rush Limbaugh]] — then working at a little-known Sacramento station — to a nationwide syndication contract. McLaughlin offered Limbaugh to stations at an unbeatable price: free. All they had to do to carry his program was to set aside four minutes per hour for ads that McLaughlin's company sold to national sponsors. The stations got to sell the remaining commercial time to local advertisers."<ref>{{cite Q|Q105426282}}<!-- Rush Limbaugh is ailing. And so is the conservative talk-radio industry. -->.</ref>

According to ''The Washington Post'', "From his earliest days on the air, Limbaugh trafficked in conspiracy theories, divisiveness, even viciousness", e.g., "feminazis".<ref>{{cite Q|Q105426282}}<!-- Rush Limbaugh is ailing. And so is the conservative talk-radio industry. -->.</ref> Prior to 1987 people using much less controversial verbiage had been taken off the air as obvious violations of the fairness doctrine.<ref>{{cite Q|Q105427186}}<!-- Messengers of the Right: Conservative Media and the Transformation of American Politics -->.</ref>

=== Corollary rules ===

Two corollary rules of the doctrine, the [[personal attack rule]] and the "political editorial" rule, remained in practice until 2000. The "personal attack" rule applied whenever a person, or small group, was subject to a personal attack during a broadcast. Stations had to notify such persons, or groups, within a week of the attack, send them transcripts of what was said and offer the opportunity to respond on-the-air. The "political editorial" rule applied when a station broadcast editorials endorsing or opposing candidates for public office, and stipulated that the unendorsed candidates be notified and allowed a reasonable opportunity to respond.<ref>{{cite web|title=Information Needs of Communities: The policy and regulatory landscape|url=https://transition.fcc.gov/osp/inc-report/INoC-26-Broadcast.pdf|publisher=[[FCC]]|access-date=August 22, 2017|pages=277–278|date=June 9, 2011}}</ref>

The [[U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit]] ordered the FCC to justify these corollary rules in light of the decision to repeal the fairness doctrine. The FCC did not provide prompt justification, so both corollary rules were repealed in October 2000.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Leweke|first1=Robert W.|title=Rules Without a Home: FCC Enforcement of the Personal Attack and Political Editorial Rules|journal=Communication Law and Policy|date=October 1, 2001|volume=6|issue=4|pages=557–576|doi=10.1207/S15326926CLP0604_02|s2cid=143329667|issn=1081-1680}}</ref>

== Reinstatement considered ==
=== Support ===
In February 2005, U.S. Representative [[Louise Slaughter]] ([[U.S. Democratic Party|D]]-[[New York (state)|NY]]) and 23 co-sponsors introduced the Fairness and Accountability in Broadcasting Act (H.R. 501)<ref>[http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h109-501 H.R. 501, Fairness and Accountability in Broadcasting Act (109th Congress, 1st Session)] (full text) from GovTrack.us. Retrieved November 13, 2008.</ref> in the 1st session of the [[109th Congress]] of 2005-2007, when [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] held a majority of both Houses. The bill would have shortened a station's license term from eight years to four, with the requirement that a license-holder cover important issues fairly, hold local public hearings about its coverage twice a year, and document to the FCC how it was meeting its obligations.<ref>[[Congressional Research Service]] summary of [http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h109-501&tab=summary H.R. 501--109th Congress (2005): Fairness and Accountability in Broadcasting Act], GovTrack.us (database of federal legislation). Retrieved November 13, 2008</ref> The bill was referred to committee, but progressed no further.<ref>[http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h109-501 Overview of H.R. 501 (109th Congress, 1st session)] from GovTrack.us. Retrieved November 14, 2008.</ref>

In the same Congress, Representative [[Maurice Hinchey]] (D-[[New York (state)|NY]]) introduced legislation "to restore the Fairness Doctrine". H.R. 3302, also known as the "Media Ownership Reform Act of 2005" or MORA, had 16 co-sponsors in Congress.<ref>Summary at {{cite web |url=http://www.house.gov/hinchey/issues/mora.shtml |title=Media Ownership Reform Act of 2005 |access-date=September 12, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070902141115/http://www.house.gov/hinchey/issues/mora.shtml |archive-date=September 2, 2007 |url-status=dead }} - Full text at [http://www.thomas.gov/home/gpoxmlc109/h3302_ih.xml H.R. 3302 Media Ownership Reform Act of 2005]{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Retrieved August 17, 2008.</ref>

In June 2007, Senator [[Dick Durbin|Richard Durbin]] (D-[[Illinois|Ill.]]) said, "It's time to reinstitute the Fairness Doctrine",<ref>Bolton, Alexander (June 27, 2007). [https://web.archive.org/web/20070629120833/http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/gop-preps-for-talk-radio-confrontation-2007-06-27.html "GOP preps for talk radio confrontation"]. ''[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]''. Retrieved October 27, 2008.</ref> an opinion shared by his Democratic colleague, Senator [[John Kerry]] (D-[[Massachusetts|Mass.]]).<ref>{{cite magazine| author= John Eggerton| title = Kerry Wants Fairness Doctrine Reimposed| magazine = [[Broadcasting and Cable]]| date = June 27, 2007| url = http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6456031.html| access-date = October 27, 2008 }} describing an interview on ''[[The Brian Lehrer Show]]'' on [[WNYC]] radio</ref> However, according to Marin Cogan of ''[[The New Republic]]'' in late 2008: {{cquote|Senator Durbin's press secretary says that Durbin has "no plans, no language, no nothing. He was asked in a hallway last year, he gave his personal view"{{mdash}}that the American people were served well under the doctrine{{mdash}}"and it's all been blown out of proportion."<ref>Marin Cogan, [http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=68d07041-7dbc-451d-a18a-752567145610 Bum Rush: Obama's secret plan to muzzle talk radio. Very, very secret], ''[[The New Republic]]'', December 3, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2008</ref>}}
On June 24, 2008, U.S. Representative [[Nancy Pelosi]] (D-[[California|Calif.]]), the [[Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]] at the time, told reporters that her fellow [[U.S. Democratic Party|Democratic]] representatives did not want to forbid reintroduction of the fairness doctrine, adding "the interest in my caucus is the reverse." When asked by John Gizzi of ''[[Human Events]]'', "Do you personally support revival of the 'Fairness Doctrine?{{'"}}, the Speaker replied "Yes".<ref>{{cite news| first = John |last= Gizzi| title = Pelosi Supports Fairness Doctrine| newspaper = [[Human Events]]| date=June 25, 2008| url =http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=27185| access-date = October 27, 2008 }}</ref>

On December 15, 2008, U.S. Representative [[Anna Eshoo]] (D-[[California|Calif.]]) told ''[[Palo Alto Daily Post|The Daily Post]]'' in [[Palo Alto, California]] that she thought it should also apply to cable and satellite broadcasters, stating:
{{cquote|I'll work on bringing it back. I still believe in it. It should and will affect everyone.<ref>{{cite web| author = San Francisco Peninsula Press Club| title = Rep. Eshoo to push for Fairness Doctrine| publisher = San Francisco Peninsula Press Club| date=December 16, 2008| url=http://sfppc.blogspot.com/2008/12/rep-eshoo-to-push-for-fairness-doctrine.html| access-date = December 15, 2008 }}</ref>}}
On February 11, 2009, Senator [[Tom Harkin]] (D-[[Iowa]]) told radio host Bill Press, "we gotta get the Fairness Doctrine back in law again." Later in response to Press's assertion that "they are just shutting down progressive talk from one city after another", Senator Harkin responded, "Exactly, and that's why we need the fair{{mdash}}that's why we need the Fairness Doctrine back."<ref>{{cite web| author = Michael Calderon| title = Sen. Harkin: 'We need the Fairness Doctrine back'| publisher = [[Politico (newspaper)|Politico]]| date=February 11, 2009| url=https://www.politico.com/blogs/michaelcalderone/0209/Sen_Harkin_We_need_the_Fairness_Doctrine_back_.html?showall| access-date = February 11, 2009 }}</ref>

Former President [[Bill Clinton]] has also shown support for the fairness doctrine. During a February 13, 2009, appearance on the Mario Solis Marich radio show, Clinton said:
{{cquote|Well, you either ought to have the Fairness Doctrine or we ought to have more balance on the other side, because essentially there's always been a lot of big money to support the right wing talk shows.}}

Clinton cited the "blatant drumbeat" against the stimulus program from conservative talk radio, suggesting that it does not reflect economic reality.<ref>{{cite magazine| author = John Eggerton| title = Bill Clinton Talks of Re-Imposing Fairness Doctrine or At Least 'More Balance' in Media| magazine = [[Broadcasting & Cable]] | date=February 13, 2009| url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/174123-Bill_Clinton_Talks_of_Re_Imposing_Fairness_Doctrine_or_At_Least_More_Balance_in_Media.php| access-date = February 13, 2009 }}</ref>

On September 19, 2019, Representative [[Tulsi Gabbard]] (D-HI) introduced H.R. 4401 Restore the Fairness Doctrine Act of 2019 in the House of Representatives, 116th Congress. Rep. Gabbard was the only sponsor. H.R. 4401 was immediately referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on the same day. It was then referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology on September 20, 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Willis|first=Derek|title=H.R.4401: To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to reinstate the obligation of broadcast licensees to afford reasonable opportunity for the discussion of conflicting views on issues of public importance (commonly known as the 'Fairness Doctrine'). |url=https://projects.propublica.org/represent/bills/116/hr4401|access-date=November 19, 2020|website=ProPublica|date=August 12, 2015|language=en}}</ref>

H.R. 4401 would mandate equal media discussion of key political and social topics, requiring television and radio broadcasters to give airtime to opposing sides of issues of civic interest.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mojica|first=Adrian|date=October 24, 2019|title=Bill filed in Congress would mandate equal media attention on political or social issues|url=https://abcnews4.com/news/connect-to-congress/bill-filed-in-congress-would-mandate-equal-media-attention-on-political-or-social-issues|access-date=November 19, 2020|website=WCIV}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=GovTrack.us|date=October 22, 2019|title=Restore the Fairness Doctrine Act would require broadcasters give airtime to all sides of an issue|url=https://govtrackinsider.com/restore-the-fairness-doctrine-act-would-require-broadcasters-give-airtime-to-all-sides-of-an-issue-1f3117e20d03|access-date=November 19, 2020|website=Medium|language=en}}</ref> The summary reads: "Restore the Fairness Doctrine Act of 2019. This bill requires a broadcast radio or television licensee to provide reasonable opportunity for discussion of conflicting views on matters of public importance.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Summary of H.R. 4401: Restore the Fairness Doctrine Act of 2019|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/116/hr4401/summary|access-date=2020-11-19|website=GovTrack.us|language=en}}</ref> The Restore the Fairness Doctrine Act would once again mandate television and radio broadcasters present both sides when discussing political or social issues, reinstituting the rule in place from 1949 to 1987&nbsp;...&nbsp;. Supporters argue that the doctrine allowed for a more robust public debate and affected positive political change as a result, rather than allowing only the loudest voices or deepest pockets to win."<ref>{{Cite journal|date=April 1, 1965|title=Summary of Bills Before 89th Congress|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ptj/45.4.373|journal=Physical Therapy|volume=45|issue=4|pages=373–376|doi=10.1093/ptj/45.4.373|issn=0031-9023|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

=== Opposition ===
The fairness doctrine has been strongly opposed by prominent [[Conservatism in the United States|conservatives]] and [[Libertarianism in the United States|libertarians]] who view it as an attack on [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] rights and property rights. Editorials in ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' and ''[[The Washington Times]]'' in 2005 and 2008 said that Democratic attempts to bring back the fairness doctrine have been made largely in response to conservative [[talk radio]].<ref>{{cite news| title = Rush to Victory| newspaper = [[The Wall Street Journal]]| date=April 4, 2005| url=http://tm.ermarian.net/Academic%20Junk/Politics/Media/Domestic/Fairness%20Doctrine/2005:04:25-%20WSJ%20Editorial%20Argues%20that%20Fairness%20Doctrine%20Repressed%20Conservative%20Commentators,%20and%20that%20Repeal%20of%20Repressive%20Fairness%20Doctrine%20Explains%20Popularity%20of%20Conservative%20Talk.pdf| access-date = July 1, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news| title = 'Fairness' is Censorship| newspaper = [[The Washington Times]]| date=June 17, 2008| url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jun/17/fairness-is-censorship/| access-date = July 1, 2008 }}</ref>

In 1987, Edward O. Fritts, president of the National Association of Broadcasters, in applauding President Reagan's veto of a bill intended to turn the doctrine into law, said that the doctrine is an infringement on free speech and intrudes on broadcasters' journalistic judgment.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-06-21-mn-8908-story.html|title=Reagan's Veto Kills Fairness Doctrine Bill|author=Pagano, Penny|date=June 21, 1987|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date =May 11, 2016}}</ref>

In 2007, Senator [[Norm Coleman]] (R-[[Minnesota|MN]]) proposed an amendment to a defense [[appropriations bill]] that forbade the FCC from "using any funds to adopt a fairness rule."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/07/14/2514/|title=Democrats Block Amendment to Prevent Fairness Doctrine|author=Frommer, Frederic J.|date=July 14, 2007|publisher=[[Associated Press]]|access-date =August 10, 2008}}</ref> It was blocked, in part on grounds that "the amendment belonged in the [[United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation|Commerce Committee]]'s jurisdiction."

In 2007, the Broadcaster Freedom Act of 2007 was proposed in the Senate by Senators Coleman with 35 co-sponsors (S.1748) and [[John Thune]] (R-SD), with 8 co-sponsors (S.1742),<ref>[http://www.opencongress.org/bill/110-s1742/show Broadcaster Freedom Act of 2007], Open Congress Foundation. Retrieved November 14, 2008</ref> and in the House by Republican Representative [[Mike Pence]] (R-[[Indiana|IN]]) with 208 co-sponsors (H.R. 2905).<ref>[http://www.opencongress.org/bill/110-h2905/show Broadcaster Freedom Act of 2007, introduced February 1, 2005, "To prevent the Federal Communications Commission from repromulgating the fairness doctrine"], Open Congress Foundation. Retrieved November 14, 2008</ref> It provided:
{{cquote|The Commission shall not have the authority to prescribe any rule, regulation, policy, doctrine, standard, or other requirement that has the purpose or effect of reinstating or repromulgating (in whole or in part) the requirement that broadcasters present opposing viewpoints on controversial issues of public importance, commonly referred to as the 'Fairness Doctrine', as repealed in General Fairness Doctrine Obligations of Broadcast Licensees, 50 Fed. Reg. 35418 (1985).<ref>[http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h110-2905 Text of H.R. 2905: Broadcaster Freedom Act of 2007], GovTrack.us. Retrieved November 14, 2008</ref>}}

Neither of these measures came to the floor of either house.

On August 12, 2008, FCC Commissioner [[Robert M. McDowell]] stated that the reinstitution of the fairness doctrine could be intertwined with the debate over network neutrality (a proposal to classify network operators as [[common carrier]]s required to admit all Internet services, applications and devices on equal terms), presenting a potential danger that [[net neutrality]] and fairness doctrine advocates could try to expand content controls to the Internet.<ref>Jeff Poor, [http://www.businessandmedia.org/articles/2008/20080812160747.aspx "FCC Commissioner: Return of Fairness Doctrine Could Control Web Content"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100922095658/http://www.businessandmedia.org/articles/2008/20080812160747.aspx |date=September 22, 2010 }}, August 13, 2008, Business & Media Institute</ref> It could also include "government dictating content policy".<ref>http://www.eyeblast.tv/Public/Video.aspx?rsrcID=34016 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080818090027/http://www.eyeblast.tv/Public/Video.aspx?rsrcID=34016 |date=August 18, 2008 }} See also [http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-288134A1.pdf Commissioner McDowell's speech to the Media Institute] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111018092111/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-288134A1.pdf |date=October 18, 2011 }} in January 2009.</ref> The conservative [[Media Research Center]]'s Culture & Media Institute argued that the three main points supporting the fairness doctrine — media scarcity, liberal viewpoints being censored at a corporate level, and public interest — are all myths.<ref>[http://www.cultureandmedia.com/specialreports/2008/Fairness_Doctrine/CMI_FairnessDoctrine_Single.pdf Culture & Media Institute report on The Fairness Doctrine.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110109020347/http://www.cultureandmedia.com/specialreports/2008/Fairness_Doctrine/CMI_FairnessDoctrine_Single.pdf |date=January 9, 2011 }} - accessed August 13, 2008.</ref>

In June 2008, [[Barack Obama]]'s press secretary wrote that Obama, then a Democratic U.S. senator from Illinois and candidate for president, did not support it, stating:
{{cquote|Obama does not support reimposing the Fairness Doctrine on broadcasters&nbsp;... [and] considers this debate to be a distraction from the conversation we should be having about opening up the airwaves and modern communications to as many diverse viewpoints as possible. That is why Sen. Obama supports media-ownership caps, [[network neutrality]], [[public broadcasting]], as well as increasing minority ownership of broadcasting and print outlets.<ref>{{cite news |first=John |last=Eggerton |url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6573406.html |title=Obama Does Not Support Return of Fairness Doctrine |work=Broadcasting & Cable |date=June 25, 2008 |access-date=October 30, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080627175405/http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6573406.html |archive-date=June 27, 2008}} citing an e-mail from Obama's press secretary, Michael Ortiz.</ref>}}

On February 16, 2009, Mark Fowler said:
{{cquote|I believe as President Reagan did, that the electronic press—and you're included in that—the press that uses air and electrons, should be and must be as free from government control as the press that uses paper and ink, ''Period''.<ref name="Fowler-Levin;"/>}}

In February 2009, a White House spokesperson said that President Obama continued to oppose the revival of the doctrine.<ref>{{cite news |title=White House: Obama Opposes 'Fairness Doctrine' Revival |url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/02/18/white-house-opposes-fairness-doctrine/ |work=Fox News |date=February 18, 2009}}</ref>

In the [[111th Congress]], January 2009 to January 2011, the Broadcaster Freedom Act of 2009 (S.34, S.62, H.R.226) was introduced to block reinstatement of the doctrine. On February 26, 2009, by a vote of 87–11, the Senate added that act as an amendment to the [[District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2009]] (S.160),<ref>{{cite news|title=Senate Backs Amendment to Prevent Fairness Doctrine Revival |publisher=[[Fox News]] |date=February 26, 2009 |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/senate-backs-amendment-to-prevent-fairness-doctrine-revival/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228062416/http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/02/26/demint-tries-prevent-fairness-doctrine-revival/ |archive-date=February 28, 2009 }}</ref> a bill which later passed the Senate 61–37 but not the House of Representatives.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/26/senate-votes-give-dc-full-house-vote/|title=Senate votes to give D.C. full House vote |last=Warren|first=Timothy|date=February 26, 2009|newspaper=The Washington Times |access-date=February 26, 2009}} The Senate roll call is [https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00073 here].</ref> 

The [[Associated Press]] reported that the vote on the fairness doctrine [[Rider (legislation)|rider]] was "in part a response to conservative radio talk show hosts who feared that Democrats would try to revive the policy to ensure liberal opinions got equal time." The AP report went on to say that President Obama had no intention of reimposing the doctrine, but Republicans, led by Sen. [[Jim DeMint]], R-[[South Carolina|SC]], wanted more in the way of a guarantee that the doctrine would not be reimposed.<ref>"Senate bars FCC from revisiting Fairness Doctrine". Associated Press, February 26, 2009.</ref>

===Suggested alternatives===
{{Distinguish|Unfairness doctrine}}

Media reform organizations such as [[Free Press (advocacy group)|Free Press]] feel that a return to the fairness doctrine is not as important as setting stronger station ownership caps and stronger "public interest" standards enforcement, with funding from fines given to [[public broadcasting]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.freepress.net/sites/default/files/legacy-policy/talk_radio.pdf |title=The Structural Imbalance of Talk Radio |date=June 21, 2007 |publisher=[[Free Press (advocacy group)|Free Press]] & [[Center for American Progress]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230729131336/https://www.freepress.net/sites/default/files/legacy-policy/talk_radio.pdf |archive-date=July 29, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Public opinion===
In an August 2008 telephone poll, released by [[Rasmussen Reports]], 47% of 1,000 likely voters supported a government requirement that broadcasters offer equal amounts of liberal and conservative commentary. 39% opposed such a requirement. In the same poll, 57% opposed and 31% favored requiring Internet [[website]]s and [[blog]]gers that offer political commentary to present opposing points of view. By a margin of 71–20%, the respondents agreed that it is "possible for just about any political view to be heard in today's media", including the Internet, newspapers, [[cable TV]] and [[satellite radio]], but only half the sample said they had followed recent news stories about the fairness doctrine closely. The [[margin of error]] was 3%, with a 95% confidence interval.<ref>[http://rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/47_favor_government_mandated_political_balance_on_radio_tv "47% Favor Government Mandated Political Balance on Radio, TV"]. [[Rasmussen Reports]] press release, August 14, 2008 and [http://rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/pt_survey_toplines/august_2008/toplines_fairness_doctrine_august_13_2008 "Toplines - Fairness Doctrine". August 13, 2008]. {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120715112354/http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/pt_survey_toplines/august_2008/toplines_fairness_doctrine_august_13_2008 |date=July 15, 2012 }} (Questions and answers from the survey).</ref>

==Formal revocation==
In June 2011, the chairman and a subcommittee chairman of the [[House Energy and Commerce Committee]], both Republicans, said that the FCC, in response to their requests, had set a target date of August 2011 for removing the fairness doctrine and other "outdated" regulations from the FCC's rulebook.<ref>Nagesh, Gautham (June 28, 2011). [https://thehill.com/policy/technology/95081-fcc-sets-august-target-for-striking-fairness-doctrine/ "FCC sets August target for striking Fairness Doctrine"]. "Hillicon Valley" blog, ''[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]'', quoting Republican Representatives [[Fred Upton]] (R-Michigan), chairman of the Energy & Commerce Committee, and [[Greg Walden]] (R-Oregon), chairman of its Telecommunications Subcommittee.</ref>

On August 22, 2011, the FCC voted to remove the rule that implemented the fairness doctrine, along with more than 80 other rules and regulations, from the ''[[Federal Register]]'' following an executive order by President Obama directing a "government-wide review of regulations already on the books" to eliminate unnecessary regulations.<ref name="Finally"/>

==See also==
{{Portal|conservatism}}
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Right of reply]]
* [[False balance]]
* [[Free speech]]
* [[Nakdi Report]]
* [[Prior restraint]]
* [[Mayflower doctrine]]
* [[Zapple doctrine]]
* ''[[Accurate News and Information Act]]''
{{div col end}}
== Notes ==
{{Reflist|2}}
==References==
* <!-- Fred Friendly (1976) The Good Guys, The Bad Guys, and the First Amendment -->{{cite Q|Q111848516}}
* [[Victor Pickard (professor)|Pickard, Victor]] (2014). ''America's Battle for Media Democracy: The Triumph of Corporate Libertarianism and the Future of Media Reform'', Cambridge University Press, {{ISBN|1107694752}}

===Primary sources===
* {{cite report|title=Editorializing by Broadcast Licensees|date=June 8, 1949|work=[[FCC Record|FCC Reports]]|volume=13 FCC 2d 1246|publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|U.S. Government Printing Office]]|url=https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-295673A1.pdf|access-date=January 3, 2025}}
* {{cite journal|title=FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION [Docket No. 19260; FCC 74–702] — Fairness Doctrine and Public Interest Standards: Fairness Report Regarding Handling of Public Issues|date=July 18, 1974|journal=[[Federal Register]]|volume=39|issue=139|pages=26371–26390|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1974-07-18/pdf/FR-1974-07-18.pdf|access-date=January 3, 2025}}
* {{cite report|title=Inquiry Into Section 73.1910 of the Commission's Rules and Regulations Concerning Alternatives to the General Fairness Doctrine Obligations of Broadcast Licensees|date=August 23, 1985|work=FCC Reports|volume=102 FCC 2d 145|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|url=https://archive.org/details/FairnessReport/mode/1up|access-date=January 3, 2025}}
* {{cite report|title=Syracuse Peace Council against Television Station WTVH Syracuse, New York|date=August 4, 1987|work=FCC Record|volume=2 FCC Rcd. 5043|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|url=https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-87-266A1.pdf|access-date=January 3, 2025}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite report|title=Selected FCC Regulatory Policies: Their Purpose and Consequences for Commercial Radio and TV|date=June 4, 1979|publisher=[[Government Accountability Office|General Accounting Office]]|pages=155–167|url=https://www.gao.gov/assets/ced-79-62.pdf|access-date=January 3, 2025}}
* {{cite report|last=Ruane|first=Kathleen Ann|date=July 13, 2011|title=Fairness Doctrine: History and Constitutional Issues|publisher=[[Congressional Research Service]]|website=[[Federation of American Scientists]]|url=https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/R40009.pdf|access-date=January 22, 2025}}

==External links==
* [http://bsalert.com/news/354/A_Primer_On_The_Fairness_Doctrine_How_We_Screwed_Up.html A primer on the Fairness Doctrine and how its absence now affects politics and culture in the media.]
* [http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/F/htmlF/fairnessdoct/fairnessdoct.htm Fairness Doctrine] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041022073709/http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/F/htmlF/fairnessdoct/fairnessdoct.htm |date=October 22, 2004 }} by Val E. Limburg, from the [[Museum of Broadcast Communications]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041229062537/http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/fairness.html Fairness Doctrine] from ''NOW'' on [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]]
* [http://www.city-journal.org/html/17_2_media.html The Media Cornucopia] from ''[[City Journal (New York)|City Journal]]''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081222213125/http://www.ceasespin.org/cspin_important/cspin_important.html Important legislation for and against the Fairness Doctrine] from Ceasespin.org
* [http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-288134A1.pdf Speech to the Media Institute] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111018092111/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-288134A1.pdf |date=October 18, 2011 }} by FCC Commissioner [[Robert M. McDowell]] on January 28, 2009, outlining the likely practical and constitutional challenges of reviving a fairness or neutrality doctrine.

{{Federal Communications Commission}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Censorship of broadcasting in the United States]]
[[Category:Federal Communications Commission]]
[[Category:Legal doctrines and principles]]
[[Category:Legal history of the United States]]
[[Category:Net neutrality]]
[[Category:United States communications regulation]]
[[Category:1949 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:1987 disestablishments in the United States]]