Fairness Doctrine [View all]

[RecoveringJournalist]

I think it's time to openly discuss bringing back the Fairness Doctrine.

I know this is a hot-button issue for some people - especially conservatives. But consider the shape of the country while it was in place up to the mid 1980s. Overall, things seemed a lot more civil. And conservatives STILL got elected to majorities in congress, to the presidency, etc. So it's not like reinstating it would damage conservatives' elections.

I truly think that Americans today can too easily burrow into their own points of view by watching FOX, MSNBC, etc. on their evening tubes and listening to only Rush, Schulz, etc. in their cars on the way to and from work. When non-critically thinking people who have strong opinions hear and see over and over from their chosen shows that not only are they correct in their beliefs, but also that people who believe differently are "out to destroy this country" and not to be trusted, it can easily start creating a monster. And that's what we have today, many monsters who will never see or hear any point of view that differs from their own, people who are more likely to shout down any dissenters rather than openly exchange points of view with them. It's a recipe for what this country has become - and what it could become even more so in the future.

While it has and always will be a tough sell for conservative mediums (which know it would destroy their hate-filled, yet very profitable business model,) it could lead to a more civil and educated society. Bottom line, do you remember the America of the 70s and early 80s? I do. And I surely do miss it.