Is the fairness doctrine headed back?

Reagan couldn't get the congress to get rid of the "fairness doctrine" during the 1980s so he used his ability to appoint the majority of FCC commissioners to get rid of it. This week the Democrats in congress killed an effort to stop the next presidential administration from reinstituting the doctrine through the FCC.

Senate Democrats last night beat back a Republican attempt to attach an anti-Fairness Doctrine bill as an amendment to education legislation.

The doctrine, a former requirement that broadcasters present opposing points of view on political issues, was scrapped in 1987 by the Federal Communications Commission, which said the policy restricted journalistic freedom. The bill by Sen. Norm Coleman, Minnesota Republican, would prevent the FCC from reinstating the doctrine.