ABSTRACT
In 1949 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), acting on a mandate from Congress to provide a "public interest" standard in broadcast communications, formalized what became known as the "fairness doctrine." The fairness doctrine required that broadcasters present controversial issues of public importance and present those issues in a fair and balanced manner. The rise and fall of the fairness doctrine illustrate important issues that concern First Amendment liberties in the age of broadcast communications. Freedom of the press is of primary importance in the US democratic system and is formalized by the First Amendment. Television and radio journalists thought they operated under a double standard with respect to their colleagues in print media, who were not subject to fairness-doctrine requirements. FCC Chairman Mark Fowler, a Reagan appointee, publicly opposed the fairness doctrine and promised its demise.
