Help Restore Balance on the Public Airwaves – Bring Back the Fairness Doctrine
FairnessDoctrine.com
For many
years, television and radio stations were required to give equal time
to opposing sides of public or political issues to ensure the American
public heard all sides of a debate. It was a requirement made by the
Federal Communications Commission that came to be known as The Fairness
Doctrine.
1986, a federal court ruled that the Fairness Doctrine did not have the
force of law and could be overturned without congressional approval.
Congress passed a bill to make the doctrine law but the bill was vetoed
by President Reagan in 1987 and the Fairness Doctrine was abolished.
Since
then, the country has experienced a proliferation of highly partisan
news outlets that disseminate unbalanced news coverage. Democracy is
built on the idea that the views, beliefs, and values of an informed
citizenry provide the best basis for political decision-making.
And
American listeners and viewers agree. A recent poll of likely voters
shows overwhelming support across the political and demographic
spectrum for restoring rules requiring fairness and balance on the
public airwaves.
Please join us in signing the following petition calling for the reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine:
___________
Demand that Congress Renew the Fairness Doctrine
In
June 2004, Representative Louise Slaughter (D-NY) introduced
legislation calling on broadcasters to provide balance and diversity in
their news coverage. H.R. 4710, or the MEDIA Act (Meaningful Expression
of Democracy in America) would reinstate the Fairness Doctrine to
ensure that broadcasters “afford reasonable opportunity for the
discussion of conflicting views on issues of public importance.” We,
the undersigned, support Representative Slaughter's efforts to restore
balance to the media and call on Congress to pass this measure.
News
consumers, particularly those of talk radio, are overwhelmingly exposed
to a single point of view. A survey conducted by Democracy Radio this
year revealed that 90% of all broadcast hours on talk radio are fairly
characterized as conservative. This imbalance results in issues of
public importance receiving little or no attention, while others are
presented in a manner not conducive to the listeners' receiving the
facts and range of opinions necessary to make informed decisions.
By
restoring a diversity of fact and opinion to programming, Fairness
Doctrine legislation restores a concept that has been lost since the
1980s — that because the public owns the airwaves, the public is
entitled to be adequately informed by the broadcasters of news and
opinion. Slaughter's bill puts this fundamental issue as well as the
responsibility of broadcasters back on the agenda: “A broadcast license
confers the right to use a valuable public resource and a broadcaster
is therefore required to utilize that resource as a trustee for the
American people.”
We, the undersigned, demand that Congress restore balance to our airwaves.
In
June 2004, Representative Louise Slaughter (D-NY) introduced
legislation calling on broadcasters to provide balance and diversity in
their news coverage. H.R. 4710, or the MEDIA Act (Meaningful Expression
of Democracy in America) would reinstate the Fairness Doctrine to
ensure that broadcasters “afford reasonable opportunity for the
discussion of conflicting views on issues of public importance.” We,
the undersigned, support Representative Slaughter's efforts to restore
balance to the media and call on Congress to pass this measure.
News
consumers, particularly those of talk radio, are overwhelmingly exposed
to a single point of view. A survey conducted by Democracy Radio this
year revealed that 90% of all broadcast hours on talk radio are fairly
characterized as conservative. This imbalance results in issues of
public importance receiving little or no attention, while others are
presented in a manner not conducive to the listeners' receiving the
facts and range of opinions necessary to make informed decisions.
By
restoring a diversity of fact and opinion to programming, Fairness
Doctrine legislation restores a concept that has been lost since the
1980s — that because the public owns the airwaves, the public is
entitled to be adequately informed by the broadcasters of news and
opinion. Slaughter's bill puts this fundamental issue as well as the
responsibility of broadcasters back on the agenda: “A broadcast license
confers the right to use a valuable public resource and a broadcaster
is therefore required to utilize that resource as a trustee for the
American people.”
We, the undersigned, demand that Congress restore balance to our airwaves.
___________
Click here to sign the petition
Thomas Athans
Executive Director
Democracy Radio
David Brock
President and CEO
Media Matters for America
Andrew Jay Schwartzman
President and CEO
Media Access Project
Click here to sign up for action alerts from RapidResponse – Iowa.
Blog For Iowa 