Question

What Federal Communications Commission rule, enforced between 1949 and 1987, required radio and television to present controversial issues and discuss them in a manner that was (in the commission's view) honest, equitable, and balanced?

Answer 1

Answer: Fairness Doctrine

Explanation:

The Fairness Doctrine was a U.S. communications policy established by the FCC to guarantee that controversial issues would have a fair and balanced coverage by licensed radio and television broadcasters.

The Radio Act (1927) had already established that licensed broadcasters should serve the public interest, and the Federal Communications Act (1934) created the FCC to ensure that.

By 1949, the commission´s report "In the Matter of Editorializing by Broadcast Licensees" defined the public interest provisions and demanded a basic standard of fairness in broadcasting.