Issue Statements
Fairness Doctrine
Fairness Doctrine
Originally introduced in 1949, the Fairness Doctrine required radio and television stations to give equal time to conservative and liberal opinions on political issues. If stations failed to comply, they could face a penalty or have their broadcast licenses revoked. The Fairness Doctrine was eliminated in 1987.Allowing the government to regulate broadcast journalism and determine what on-air content is and is not "fair" will take away our free speech and hurt our free flow of information. It is incredible that in today’s modern media age, where information is easily accessible in so many different forms, liberal Democrats want to squelch your First Amendment rights in favor of Chinese-style censorship. I will fight the re-implementation of the oxymoronically named Fairness Doctrine throughout the 111th Congress to ensure free and open political speech continues on America’s airwaves.
I am a co-sponsor of the Broadcasters Freedom Act, which would keep the Federal Communications Commission from reinstituting the Fairness Doctrine.
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