Fairness Doctrine

Talk radio giant Rush Limbaugh tees off soberly from the Wall Street Journal with a well-stated plea to President Obama to avoid “Government-imposed censorship.” He briefly details his ascent to super-stardom via talk radio broadcasting along with the history of the Fairness Doctrine. Limbaugh is direct in his missive — as direct as President Obama [...]

Sen.  Jim DeMint, a Republican from South Carolina is behind a bill drafted to prevent the FCC from reinstating the Fairness Doctrine. The Broadcaster Freedom Act will go to vote next week.
Demint argues that while President Obama has come out against the Doctrine, many Democrats still support similar legislation. Info here and here.
President Barack Obama [...]

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman has been exploring the idea of forcing broadcasters to create advisory boards which would keep them in line with the restrictive concepts of serving “community needs and opinions” on their content programming plates.
Senior FCC staff working for acting Federal [...]

Former President Jimmy Carter probably shocked many on the left with his assessment of the Fairness Doctrine and its oft-discussed return.  He opined on the Mac & Gaydos radio talk show today on KTAR.
Co-host Mac Watson asked Carter, “Do you think the Fairness Doctrine is something that should be brought back in the 21st century? [...]

The controversy over the proper treatment and consideration of our war dead and their coffins continues. This political football has been kicked around by partisans on both sides since the inception of the Iraq War. This is not exactly Fairness Doctrine subject matter. Or is it?
President Obama said last week that he is considering lifting [...]

Megyn Kelly can beat me up anytime…as long as it’s not over the Fairness Doctrine. Bill Press feels the sting of this anchorchick’s pimphand. Ed Morrissey sums things up for your quick consumption:

Second biggest laugh: Press won’t apply the Fairness Doctrine to NPR. He wants government dictating content to commercial radio stations, but not to [...]

The Fairness Doctrine is coming. Or at least that’s what the peanut gallery seems to collectively believe.
But 51% say it is at least somewhat likely that the Democratic-controlled Congress will restore the Fairness Doctrine, which requires holders of broadcast licenses to present balanced political coverage of important issues, as determined by the Federal Communications Commission. [...]

Rassumussen confirms this for us in a poll from August 2008.
There are many different stats parsed from the survey. But here’s a sampling:
Democrats are more supportive of government involvement in the airwaves than Republicans and unaffiliated voters. Fifty-four percent (54%) of Democrats favor it, and only 26% are opposed. Republicans and unaffiliated voters are fairly [...]

Rushon.org has a poll in which the findings suggest that some view the Fairness Doctrine as a simple tool used to silence voices on the right hand side of the talk radio dial.

Will Obama revive the Fairness Doctrine?
It seems to be a foregone conclusion that America is about elect its first Black President. The ubiquitous “Hope and Change” mantra is ambitious in its reach. One change that may raise some hackles is the revival of the Fairness Doctrine.
Brian Anderson notes, “the language of “fairness” is seductive. Many [...]