Rocks letter: News sources
I must respond to a letter of May 21 and the apparent belief that Fox News is the ultimate destructive force of the American electorate. But first a few facts:
The “Fairness Doctrine” was indeed revoked by the FCC in 1987 as it became irrelevant in the wake of the proliferation and diversity of news sources available to the public. Further, it applied only to licensees of TV and radio stations and did not apply to cable/satellite news, etc. It should also be made clear that it had no association with “equal time”; the Fairness Doctrine dealt only with the FCC’s subjective interpretation of fairness in reporting “controversial issues.” The equal time rule applies only to political candidates and remains intact for TV and radio stations.
It’s quite easy to peruse The Fourth Estate today and observe all the deafening, one-sided sources of liberal news. Fox News has more liberal contributors and viewpoints than the reverse and are but a faint voice up against the left-leaning news sources available today. Everyone’s version of the truth has much to do with what they “want to hear” to support their beliefs. Far be it from me to make that judgment for anyone.
Randall Rocks, Boise
This story was originally published June 5, 2017 at 4:05 PM with the headline "Rocks letter: News sources."