Weeks 1

Jacob Weeks

Morean

English 1201

19 April 2020

Timeline

1927- Congress had just stated that the FCC can only issue broadcasting licenses when the action

is for the interest of the general welfare of the people. The passing was originally for the Federal

Radio Commission, but this was later incorporated into the FCC.

1949- Fairness Doctrine is passed by congress and was on the forefront of the FCC’s agenda.

The intent was for the doctrine to help provide proper information to the people; this was done

by mandating that media sources cannot present one side of the argument.

1969- Red Lion Broadcasting v. FCC occurred which brought up the idea that the Fairness

Doctrine had placed too many limits upon the rights of broadcasting companies. The Supreme

court had decided that this was untrue and that since the spectrum is government property, it has

the right to regulate speech.

1987- The Fairness Doctrine is removed under the Reagan Administration since many believe

that it breached the media’s freedom of speech. The Red Lion had begun to slowly restore the

freedom of speech before hand, and this led to the constitutionality coming under question.

1994- Pew Research Center begins taking surveys of the American public and ask them

questions regarding their political stances and beliefs. The first-year reports that the median
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democrat is in the middle of the political spectrum while the median republican is close but a bit

towards the right.

2008-One of the biggest conservative talk show host, Rush Limbaugh, received a deal from

iHeartMedia worth 400 million dollars. The talk show platform is one of the biggest platforms

for the republican party and the deal is a great display of that importance. Originally it would not

have been possible, but the Fairness Doctrine’s absence was a main factor for its modern power.

2011- Last remaining pieces of the Fairness Doctrine are removed after an executive order from

Obama that ordered an overhaul of federal legislation. The decision was made by the FCC and

the vote to remove the doctrine was heavily in favor of its removal.

2016-Election year for the 45th president, the two nominees of the republican and democrat party

are Donald J. Trump and Hillary Clinton respectively. The election was the main topic of the

media and has remained that way even after it has ended. The huge amount of media attention is

biased towards one of the political parties and it is rare to find sources that give an unbiased

opinion over the election. Before this; however, there was the issue of the zika virus. Since the

government was in a gridlock as Obama was president while the republicans held the majority in

congress, the passing of emergency funding was difficult to pass, and this issue was created due

to an uncooperative government.

2017- The last year that Pew Research Center has taken the survey has shown a huge increase in

the polarization of the parties and even the public. The median democrat is now consistently

more liberal than in 1994 and the median republican has moved slightly more to the right, but

there has been a huge increase in the population that has become more consistently conservative

than before.
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Works Cited

Berry, Jeffrey M., and Sarah Subira. “Understanding the Rise of Talk Radio.” PS: Political

Science & Politics, vol. 44, no. 04, 2011, pp. 762–767., doi:10.1017/s1049096511001223.

Black, Eric. “Does the Demise of the Fairness Doctrine Explain the 2016 Election?” MinnPost, 27

Apr. 2017, www.minnpost.com/eric-black-ink/2017/04/does-demise-fairness-doctrine-explain-

2016-election/.

Clogston, Juanita “Frankie.” “The Repeal of the Fairness Doctrine and the Irony of Talk Radio: A

Story of Political Entrepreneurship, Risk, and Cover.” Journal of Policy History, vol. 28, no. 2,

Nov. 2016, pp. 375–396., doi:10.1017/s0898030616000105.

Gottfried, Jeffrey, et al. “Trump, Clinton Voters Divided in Their Main Source for Election

News.” Pew Research Center's Journalism Project, 31 Dec. 2019,

www.journalism.org/2017/01/18/trump-clinton-voters-divided-in-their-main-source-for-election-

news/.

Matthews, Dylan. “Everything You Need to Know about the Fairness Doctrine in One Post.” The

Washington Post, WP Company, 23 Aug. 2011, www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-

klein/post/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-fairness-doctrine-in-one-

post/2011/08/23/gIQAN8CXZJ_blog.html.

McBride, Sarah. “Clear Channel, Limbaugh Ink $400 Million New Contract.” The Wall Street

Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 4 July 2008, www.wsj.com/articles/SB121504302144124805.

“Political Polarization, 1994-2017.” Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 20 Oct.

2017, www.people-press.org/interactives/political-polarization-1994-2017/.
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Stefon, Matt. “Fairness Doctrine.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 30 Dec.

2018, www.britannica.com/topic/Fairness-Doctrine.