Fairness Doctrine - Ditch Maga

The History of Fairness Doctrine

How We Got Here

The Fairness Doctrine was instituted in 1949 to ensure that broadcasters presented fair and balanced news to the American public, and it was killed at the request of Rupert Murdoch.

The Influence of Rupert Murdoch

With the revocation of the Fairness Doctrine, media mogul Rupert Murdoch was able to take advantage and build a media empire based on spreading partisan views and opinions.

Why the Fairness Doctrine was important for a fair and balanced news reporting

The Fairness Doctrine was a crucial law in ensuring unbiased news coverage.

What the Fairness Doctrine Did

“Yellow Journalism” ran rampant in the early 1900s. Newspapers printed whatever they wanted, and sold this misinformation on cheap, yellow paper – which is why it was termed “yellow journalism”. People were mislead by the lies that these cheap papers printed, and the government decided to step in. A lot of the reporting of these “news” organizations was about politics.

When these “news” organizations started to divide our country, out politicians, the government intervened and created the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) and made the Fairness Doctrine law. This doctrine wasn’t there to restrict reporting, but required news organizations to present both sides of an issue. The purpose of this was to ensure that people were not told sensationalized news that would make them act irrationally.

The Impact on Society

The lack of a Fairness Doctrine has contributed to the politically polarized society we live in today.

Without it, there is no obligation for news outlets to present all sides of an issue, leading to misinformation and manipulating public opinion.

A Break from the Past

Here at Ditch Maga, we are proud to showcase our photo gallery filled with images of our merchandise and symbols representing the Fairness Doctrine and breaking away from the toxic ideals of MAGA.