Long before Ronald Reagan became the 40th President of the United States, the Fairness Doctrine was put into effect and enforced by the Federal Communications Council (FCC). According to the Reagan Library, the Doctrine “was rooted in the media world of 1949” after lawmakers worried there might be a monopoly on audience control of the three main networks, NBC, ABC and CBS. The thought was the big 3 would misuse their broadcast licenses and become biased. It mandated opposing views when it came to issues of public importance, and became the law of the land in 1954. According to the Library, it was considered to be the “single most important requirement of operation in the public interest” until Reagan gutted it.
In 1985, during Reagan’s 2nd term, his FCC Chair started to slowly take it apart, limb by limb. There were even complaints within Reagan’s own cabinet that it was the only thing keeping broadcast journalists from slamming Reagan’s policies on air. Finally in 1987 it was totally repealed. Of course, there were no longer just 3 networks. CNN had been born by then.
Seems like fairness to bring this legislation back so that the incoming administration can legally keep the news media on even footing.
Not to say like an old curmudgeon, but we really need to get back to the time of just a few news networks, so that we can watch actual news. On election night I had a hard time searching for this. No wonder everyone is silo’d into their own groups, they are watching the one thing that makes them feel seen. CNN is no longer delivering 24/7 news, it’s opinion and programs that make fun of news events. Fox is Fox and MSNBC is MSNBC.
On terrestrial radio, it seems like mostly conservative talk shows nowadays. And then even more conservative. On Sirius/XM there is only one Progressive Talker and the rest are mainly Conservative. There is also only one news channel dedicated to the Black experience.
Back in the day Air America hosted such voices as Rachel Maddow who started gaining popularity by regularly speaking on Keith Olbermann’s MSNBC show, Al Franken, who was a comic turned US Senator, Marc Maron, who pretty much launched the whole podcasting interview industry, Ed Schultz who went over to talk on Russian TV (and sadly passed away), and good old RFK, Jr, who will soon be running all health agencies for the US Government.
You’ve got to dig really deep to learn what is real, and what is fake. I found that my local station reported out the winners in races (not who lost and why), and they had zero personality attached to it. That is the way news should be delivered, NO PERSONALITY.
