A New Round for Fairness Doctrine

The broadcast industry’s Fairness Doctrine is proving to have more lives than “Nightmare on Elm Street’s” Freddie.

On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives tagged the controversial issue to a budget reconciliation bill in an effort to force TV and radio broadcasters to air opposing viewpoints on controversial issues or risk losing their licenses.

The Democratic majority in the House has tried unsuccessfully to revive the doctrine three times since the Federal Communications Commission killed the regulation two years ago.

The National Assn. of Broadcasters opposes the doctrine on First Amendment grounds. While supporters maintain that it promotes free speech, an association spokesman contended that it potentially would restrict speech because broadcasters would hesitate to air any controversial issues.