Information Economy Project 'Big Ideas About Information' Lecture Series

Wed., July 18, 2007 @ 9:15– 10:30am

ABOLISHING THE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE,

A POLICY MAKER'S PERSPECTIVE

A Lecture by DENNIS PATRICK

Chairman, Federal Communications Commission, 1987-89

On August 4, 1987, F.C.C. Chairman Dennis Patrick led the Commission to abolish the Fairness Doctrine governing radio and television broadcasters.  While the FD had been condemned by a variety of legal scholars as violating the First Amendment, it was staunchly supported by a political coalition of liberals and conservatives, and Patrick’s policy to end it generated a firestorm.  More importantly, perhaps, it triggered a laissez faire approach to media content that carried over to cable TV networks, satellite systems, and the Internet.  The ultimate impact of the policy is still hotly debated.  In this first person account, former Chairman Patrick explains the policy decision that preceded abolition, the reaction to it, and his thoughts on how media markets have fared in the wake of deregulation.

>> Unedited transcript is available (PDF)

>> Digital video copy of the talk by is available from C-SPAN for $29.95.

Article Published from this Lecture:

“The Return of the Speech Police” by Dennis Patrick and Thomas Hazlett, The Wall Street Journal on July 30, 2007, page A13, Quick Links: Big Ideas About Information, Dennis Patrick