Opinion: Fond Memories of the Fairness Doctrine

(July 26) -- Who would ever have thought it possible to be nostalgic for a long-lost regulation of the Federal Communications Commission? Yet in the wake of Shirley Sherrod and the ACORN tape fraud and the so-called Black Panther voting rights ridiculousness, I really miss the Fairness Doctrine.

Hey, old man: What was the Fairness Doctrine?

Let me tell you, my young friend, about the way it used to be waaaaaaaaay back before the vaunted "Reagan Revolution" had run its course.

Back in the nearly prehistoric age, until 1987, when there weren't hundreds of cable channels, satellite stations, DVDs, Internet websites, iPods, iPhones and iPads ... there was a rule: Whenever a licensed broadcaster covered politically controversial issues, the FCC required that broadcaster -- as a "public trustee" -- to air opposing points of view as well.

No way! You mean back in the days of AM radio, a guy like Rush Limbaugh or Keith Olbermann would have to use half his time to let the folks he was attacking actually tell their side of the story? Come on!

That's right, my young friend. Back when nightly network news was highly rated, when all of America's late-night talk hosts were named Johnny Carson, political opinion was presented through the media in as balanced and fair a manner as was possible.

But wasn't that kind of boring?

Darn tootin'. But it was the price we paid for a better informed electorate. Imagine a world where you didn't hear only what you wanted to hear. In the age of the Fairness Doctrine, broadcasters were actually required to give time to the voices they might otherwise choose to shut out.

No way!

Yes "way." That's how it really used to be.

But that sounds so dull, old man.

It was indeed. And truth be told, it wasn't a perfect system; many topics didn't get discussed at all. But what I remember most from those days is that despite the differences that existed between left and right, political debate was not a day-to-day seek-and-destroy mission. Did you know that members of Congress with differing views by day actually spent time socializing together by night? Democrats were actually friends with Republicans and nobody accused them of hating America for it.

Sounds pretty sentimental, old man, but we need to take America back.

I've got no problem with that, kid. How about we start by taking her back to 1987?