Fair Air for America

Did you know that you and I and every other American own the airwaves? They are a public resource. Radio and television stations simply rent space on them from us. Shouldn’t we be allowed to demand smarter, tougher, and more balanced media coverage? Up until 1987, we did. Under what was known as the Fairness Doctrine, news stations had to provide equal time to opposing viewpoints.

In 1987, Ronald Reagan’s Federal Communications Commission repealed the Fairness Doctrine. Congress tried to restore the rule that same year, but Reagan vetoed the bill. Since that time, our national media has gone down the toilet. AM radio is a cesspool of venomous demagoguery. Television news is a complete joke.

Congress should bring back the Fairness Doctrine and should expand it to include cable news as well. It worked for decades to help journalism stay balanced and fair. The only people who opposed it were partisan ideologues who didn’t want to risk allowing their opponents a voice. Why should we give those jerks free rein on a public resource like the broadcast spectrum?

NEXT: Keep Conflicted Corporations Out