Fairness Doctrine

The Fairness Doctrine was a Federal Communications Commission policy, introduced in 1949, that required broadcast license holders to cover controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a way that fairly presented opposing viewpoints. The FCC eliminated the doctrine in 1987, concluding that it was no longer necessary and might chill speech, and it has not been in force since. The Fairness Doctrine is frequently confused with the equal-time rule, a separate and still-active requirement that concerns access for political candidates rather than balanced coverage of issues.