Fairness Doctrine v. Fairness

July 7, 2007 by Dr. Mc.

The Fairness Doctrine has resurfaced in the current legislation. It has its pros and cons, but the main problem I see is that the government is left to decide what is “fair.” Forgive me if I have said this before, but a student of mine, not too long ago, said he had found a balanced news station. I said, “If you found a balanced news station, then you have found one with the same bias that you have.” With the advent of the blogosphere we have a loss of communications control comparable to the advent of the printing press. If we try to force “balance” on mainstream media, the forced presentation of opposing views will so stick in the craw of those caring enough to express an opinion, that they will restrain from any presentation at all. This happened before under the Fairness Doctrine, but this time mainstream media would lose even more ground to the bloggers. The Dover School Board attempted to require balanced presentation with the disastrous result that teachers were required to read issued statements, regardless of personal beliefs. That was the first disaster, even before the big court decision. Requiring speech will never be a substitute for protecting speech.

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