Orwellian Fairness

One of the most Orwellian named pieces of regulation in human history is set to make a comeback, if left-leaning bloggers and Democrat legislators get their way.

It’s the "Fairness Doctrine" and in the past was part of the regulatory function of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Under its regulatory thumb, broadcasters were required to provide equal reply time to anyone who claimed their opinions had been derogated.

The regulation was properly eliminated in the 1980s. Similar to the decency rules of the FCC, the Fairness Doctrine was justified at the time because of a scarcity of broadcast frequencies and because radio and television stations as public trustees are not necessarily entitled to First Amendment protections.

The demise of Don Imus’ radio and television shows has provided impetus to proponents of a renewed version of the fairness doctrine. In reality, though, the “new and improved” Fairness Doctrine, if passed, will be a means of restoring a liberal media monopoly.

Democrat Rep. Maurice Hinchey has proposed the Media Ownership Reform Act, which melds the old Fairness doctrine with other draconian speech squelching legislation. And Democrat Rep. Dennis Kucinich has been talking about having hearings on the Hill to determine whether the Fairness Doctrine should be reinstated.