Take Out the Trash: Reinstate the Fairness Doctrine

Some of the other contributors and I have posted once or twice around here, ahem, about our firm belief that, if the Dems had any brains in their heads, they would use the opportunity of their simultaneous Congressional majority and White House occupancy to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine, which was established by the FCC in 1949 to ensure that broadcasters afforded reasonable access to opposing viewpoints on controversial issues of public importance, and was later tossed out under Reagan, paving the way for the emergence of Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, Fox News, and Randi Rhodes, just to name a few.

Well, maybe there's some grey matter in D.C. after all:

More and more Democrats in Congress are calling for action that Republicans warn could muzzle right-wing talk radio.

Representative Maurice Hinchey, a Democrat from New York is the latest to say he wants to bring back the "Fairness Doctrine," a federal regulation scrapped in 1987 that would require broadcasters to present opposing views on public issues.

"I think the Fairness Doctrine should be reinstated," Hinchey told CNNRadio. Hinchey says he could make it part of a bill he plans to introduce later this year overhauling radio and t-v ownership laws.

Democratic Senators Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and Tom Harkin of Iowa added their voices recently to those calling for a return of the regulation.

Republicans oppose the Fairness Doctrine, arguing it would be wrong for the federal government to monitor political speech on the airwaves, in order to require opposing views.