The Redefining of What Is "Fair"

It's started again. Another run at getting the good old Fairness Doctrine back into law. Wisely tossed out back in 1986, the Fairness Doctrine said that for every minute a broadcaster aired one opinion, he had to offer equal time to someone of the opposite opinion. I remember that equal time. The FCC never really enforced the Doctrine. If, for instance, noted lefty Walter Cronkite offered an editorial opinion in a special segment, filmed in his impressive office with thick leather-bound books on the shelves behind him, and labeled as an editorial, then the station was required to find the most inept speaker for the opposition and offer to stand him in front of a bare wall and supposedly give the opposing view. Nobody was fooled as to which speaker was supposed to be the more reliable.

In it's later years, the Fairness Doctrine was weaponized against upstart radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh. Radio stations snatched up his syndicated show because he drew tens of millions of listeners and a ton of advertisers and what radio station doesn't love advertisers?  The FCC started demanding that radio stations put up competing talk shows like those of the woeful Jim Hightower who drew tens of dozens of listeners. Stations consistently lost money on liberal talk radio shows. Nobody wanted to listen to them, because as we know, leftists already know everything so why listen to someone say what they already know?

As Rush used to say, however, his show WAS "equal time." It was always an open secret that the Fairness Doctrine watered down news stories, editorial opinions and even straight reporting. It was hazardous to do anything controversial (i.e. conservative) lest broadcasters be required to put up hours of content that nobody wanted to listen to and which wound up costing the stations money when ad revenue didn't cover the station's overhead. At the same time, news, entertainment and even advertising were steeped in so-called "progressive" opinion and the FCC didn't notice. Rush was a lone voice crying in the wilderness, but he opened the airwaves to dozens of other commentators like Sean Hannity, Laura Ingram, Mark Levin, and others who would never have gotten airtime under the repressive Fairness Doctrine.

The Congress finally recognized the lop-sided enforcement and effect of the Fairness Doctrine and repealed it in 1986. Ronald Reagan signed the repeal with a flourish. In the wake of the repeal, Fox News arose along with other conservative voices, where, before there had been few if any conservatives allowed to speak on-air. No longer was conservative speech limited to William F. Buckley who was safely relegated to his "Firing Line" program so the network could claim it was giving time to conservative views while minimizing his impact.

With the repeal of the "Fairness Doctrine", voices were heard as the Constitution intended in the first amendment, without government restriction. After 1986, a media pundit could speak as he or she wished so long as they could attract an audience. The Constitution never guaranteed that the government would provide you with a soapbox to preach from, nor that someone must herd together an audience to listen to you. You can say what you want, but we fellow Americans don't have to listen to you. There's the rub for progressives. The progressive movement's success depends on their being able through laws, rewards, punishments and propaganda to convince Americans that individually they are nothing, only so much as they serve the state (and it's elite leaders who, by the way, work so hard for "the people" that they get limos and dachas in the country as perks for being so great).

Fair does not mean "the same".  Webster's defines FAIR as:

 

1. Marked by impartiality and honesty : free from self-interest, prejudice, or favoritism a very fair person to do business with 

 

2. Conforming with the established rules : allowed

3. Consonant with merit or importance : due a fair share

 

4. Open to legitimate pursuit, attack, or ridicule fair game

 

"Fair" under the misnomer "Fairness Doctrine" does not mean "the same". And, in fact, pretty much the definition favored by the Progressive left has come to mean, "I get to say what I will, but you cannot." I see this principle at work with many of my progressive friends and relations. They wish to be free to say what they want, to ridicule your beliefs, and to confidently tell you how it is, how it was and how it ought to be. If you protest and begin arguing with facts, examples and reason, they unfriend you, block you or ban you from coming to Thanksgiving with the rest of your progressive and undecided relations lest you poison the minds of your unconverted loved ones.

Time to tell the truth about the "Unfairness Doctrine". What they mean by Fairness is "Mine is the only opinion worth having so the rest of y'all shut up.

© 2021 by Tom King

 

P.S. Don't believe me? Do a Google search on "Fairness Doctrine". You'll find pages and pages and pages of pro-fairness/anti-conservative websites, memes and images. The left is ramping up for a war on free speech.