fairness doctrine

noun

: a tenet of licensed broadcasting that ensures a reasonable opportunity for the airing of conflicting viewpoints on controversial issues

Examples of fairness doctrine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

From the 1950s through the 1980s, the three network news channels, constrained by the Federal Communications Commission’s fairness doctrine, sought to broadcast middle-of-the-road programming. — Edward Robert McClelland, Chicago Tribune, 13 Oct. 2026

From 1949 to 1987, the Federal Communications Commission held radio and television stations to a standard requiring them to air opposing sides of public issues of importance, a policy known as the fairness doctrine. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 May 2026

In 1987, the FCC also abolished the fairness doctrine, which required broadcasters to provide differing viewpoints when covering issues of public importance. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 19 Sep. 2025

Trump’s comment’s appeared to allude to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) fairness doctrine, abolished in 1987 in the Reagan era, which required networks with broadcast licenses to reflect different viewpoints on major issues, The Hill’s Brett Samuels reports. — Jared Gans, The Hill, 19 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

fairness doctrine

noun

: a doctrine requiring broadcasters to provide an opportunity for response to personal attacks aired by the broadcaster and especially for the airing of conflicting viewpoints on controversial issues