The "Fairness" Doctrine and Social Media-Impending Collision

In the wisdom of Ronald Reagan, the original Fairness Doctrine was vetoed as a largely unfair statute in 1987. Since then it has found little support, until lately. The premise of the statute, read for yourself, is outdated and does not support free speech. This is especially true in a mainstream media climate where liberal programming outnumbers conservative programming by approximately 10 to 1 (Fox News being the sole conservative broadcast). Reintroduction of this statute walls in a single set of ideas as fact. The foundation of the statute is based on a media landscape of 60 plus years ago, a virual eternity in terms of media development.

Social media, the greatest expression of free speech and connectivity, is built upon the premise that people and organizations can reach out to one another in the pursuit of common ideas. As this new medium grows, free speech and the expression of diverse ideas (from both sides of the aisle).



Social Media in Plain English by Common Craft

Passage of such a short-sighted and limiting statute is not good for technology development and the growth of American culture.