Reinstatement of Fairness Doctrine Resolution
It occurred to me that even if we fix our currently broken election system, we won’t be better off until the voters are truly informed on the issues. This is another resolution that I wrote and my county brought to the 2006 Texas Democratic State Convention.
This one also came to the floor and was passed, but with changes that I feel weakened it. I’m not even clear on its final form, since the convention chair mumbled through it in a high speed monotone. I suppose it doesn’t matter, since the county chairs already had the completed platform in their hands before the vote on this resolution was taken.
REINSTATEMENT OF FAIRNESS DOCTRINE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS: The public owns the airwaves; and
WHEREAS: From 1949 until 1987, the Federal Communications Commission enforced the Fairness Doctrine, which required broadcast licensees to present controversial issues of public importance, and to present such issues in an honest, equal and balanced manner; and
WHEREAS: During the deregulation sweep of the Reagan Administration, the FCC dissolved the Fairness Doctrine; and
WHEREAS: The FCC initially left in place two corollary rules: The Personal Attack rule, which required persons or groups subject to character attack on the air to be notified by the broadcaster; and the Political Editorial rule, which required broadcasters endorsing or opposing political candidates to notify the candidates not endorsed; and with both rules, required the broadcaster to offer the person, group or candidate the opportunity to respond; and
WHEREAS: In 2000, the Court of Appeals for Washington D.C. ordered the FCC to justify these corollary rules, and upon not receiving a timely response, ordered their repeal; and
WHEREAS: Many radio, television, wire, satellite and cable
broadcast licensees now routinely air content that includes character attacks and the misrepresentation of issues without providing reasonable time for meaningful rebuttal; and
WHEREAS: This situation has contributed strongly to expensive and ugly political campaigns, to a nation deeply divided, and to an increasingly uninformed and misled public;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Texas Democratic Party will press for and support legislation stipulating an updated version of the Fairness Doctrine and its corollary rules.
February 13th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
[...] Then there’s the staggered primaries, which deplete all but the wealthiest campaigns long before a nominee is announced. And there’s the fact that the public owns the airwaves, but the media hasn’t been required to give candidates equal time or even focus on issues since the Fairness Doctrine was overturned in 1987. [...]