Balancing Act: The Fairness Doctrine Revisited

The Fairness Doctrine—a 20th-century policy of the Federal Communications Commission—required radio and TV broadcasters to present balanced coverage on controversial issues. Since its repeal in 1987, the landscape of news media has drastically changed. Our access to a diverse range of news sources is greater than at any point in history, and yet the allegiance of viewers to their preferred talk show hosts and political pundits leaves us in silos and echo chambers, unwilling to hear the other side. In our age of polarization and misinformation, is a return to the Fairness Doctrine feasible? And would it help fix our broken media?

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