Even without a fresh regulatory battle in Washington, podcasters are looking back at the 1987 death of the Fairness Doctrine to explain today's hyper-polarized media. On Stuff You Should Know, Chuck Bryant tracked the policy back to its 1930s roots, noting the Federal Communications Commission was originally mandated to "Encourage the larger and more effective use of radio in the public interest."
But the legacy of the policy isn't purely golden-age nostalgia. Co-host Josh Clark pointed out the structural flaws of the mandate, arguing that because it was "ill-defined," it "opened the door for opposing viewpoints that, that, that put them on equal footing or equal ground-", effectively inventing the modern "both-sides" media trap.
Whether a modern version of the policy could ever survive a First Amendment challenge remains a fantasy, but its ghost still haunts the airwaves. As Chuck Bryant concluded, "even though the Fairness Doctrine isn't around, the ideology is." The desire for mandated balance remains strong, even if the regulatory teeth are long gone.