Put the “Fairness Doctrine” back as the law

Dear Editor,

I have enjoyed reading about how both presidential candidates are horrible people, depending on which side of the aisle you sit. I have read of people telling others to “take a civics lesson” and to “learn the facts”. I even saw reference to what this election should be all about, a thing called “The Fairness Doctrine”. Which leads me to the conclusion that even if a person is knowledgeable, they can still be an idiot to what is happening around them.

The Fairness Doctrine was started in the 1800s and designed to prevent propaganda. Over the years it evolved with the times, starting off regulating newspapers and telegraph. Then to radio and TV. The Fairness Doctrine, evolved by the FCC and endorsed generally in the Communications Act, demands that all controversial issues of public importance be covered both fully and fairly by broadcasters.
This system worked fine and the public came to trust the various news organizations in the United States.

Then along came the Democratic National Committee of the 1960s. Think Joe Eiden and Hillary Clinton in their youth. The Democratic National Committee at their convention in Chicago wanted access to broadcasting facilities for paid editorial advertisements.

Since political advertisements were viewed as propaganda and not in the public interest by The Fairness Doctrine, the Broadcasters declined to give access to the Democratic National Committee. The Democrats, in an attempt to force their propaganda through the Fairness Doctrine, took Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. (CBS) to court. (Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. -V. Democratic Nat’l Committee 412 United States 94) (May 29 1973).

The Democrats, instead of accepting the loss, changed how they would get their propaganda through to the public.

The Democrats decided the next best thing was to remove the Fairness Doctrine from law in the 1980s. And that leads us to our current political climate of hatefulness and division where propaganda rules the day.

The Federal Court of Appeals in 450 Federal 2d at 664 stated, “The Democrats have left no stone unturned in their attack on the exclusion of editorial advertising.” The Court went on to warn that, “The onesidedness and private editing of particular “spot” editorial advertisements may in the end steer viewers and listeners away from the “truth” by distorting complex issues.”

So if you enjoy the mess that currently is politics, where propaganda rules the day, vote Democrat. After all they’re the ones that brought it to you. And since Donald Trump has stated he wants the news media to be more truthful, he has my vote. And I plan to let him know that I, for one, want him to put the Fairness Doctrine back on the books as law. I put the case cites in so you don’t have to take my word for anything, please go and read for yourself.

— Name withheld