"Dr. Daffodil Swain" wrote in message
...

does the fairness doctrine
have any effect on the viewer?

The Fairness Doctrine no longer exists. Reagan Administration.

If you'd been paying attention, ALL of us in this discussion are well aware of this.
The argument (or, in this case, the question) was whether the FD, if in place, would
have any affect on a viewer. I say yes. Frank, here, seems to think not. While I
don't doubt that the FD did suppress a licensee's willingness to editorialise, I also
think that the FD forced licensees to provide more balanced coverage, and can cite
studies which conclude that the tenor of American political discourse shifted right
after the FD was eliminated, as you note, by the Reagan FCC, abetted by right-wing
so-called "think tanks" dedicated to proclaiming the conservative world view. The
sorry part of all of this is that that claim that conservative ideals would be good
for the country is a lie....how else can it be concluded that the Great Depression
was made Great by the conservative values of the day, whereas the nation recovered to
be the truly Great America through the instigation of socialist
practices....everything from social security, to bank deposit insurance, to welfare
and unemployment insurance.

As the conservative voice decries these programs, under the Fairness Doctrine it can
be expected that the dissenting view MUST be discussed. As it stands now, any
contrary view can be squelched by an O'Reillian "Shut Up!"
--
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If there's nothing that offends you in your community, then you know you're not
living in a free society.
Kim Campbell - ex-Prime Minister of Canada - 2004
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