If the polls are right, the country will wake up tomorrow with a federal government dominated by the Democratic Party -- one empowered to effect considerable change in the nation's laws. One
possible change that hasn't yet gotten much attention: the return of the Fairness Doctrine.
The doctrine, which dates back to the 1950s, requires broadcasters to air both sides of
controversial issues in equal measure. The FCC repealed the law in the 1980s, but given the conservative dominance of talk radio, Democrats may want to use their newfound muscle to bring it back.
"As things now stand, if Barack Obama is elected, he could simply snap his fingers, and we would have a Fairness Doctrine because he selects the FCC chairman. With a majority vote, the FCC
could declare the re-imposition of it," said L. Brent Bozell III, founder of the Media Research Center, a conservative media watchdog.
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