Reasons for Supporting the Reinstatement of The Fairness Doctrine
Reasons for Supporting the Reinstatement of The Fairness Doctrine
For 3 points, write up to 300 words to justify the case for one side of the following debate
Pro: Ever since the Fairness Doctrine was repealed in 1987 the coverage of politics on television has seriously deteriorated. Cable TV news has become nothing but an outlet for outrageous slanted opinions; serious discussion of the issues has been largely shunted to the side. For the sake of the public interest, the Fairness Doctrine should be reinstated, thereby forcing TV channels to present opposing views on public policy issues. Such a change would greatly reduce political polarization and bring America together again.
Con: The Fairness Doctrine was eliminated in 1987 because the expansion of the number of channels made it impossible for a single network to silence a particular point of view. People can now easily flip through multiple channels to get alternative points of view. To force each channel to present opposing points of view would involve excessive regulation of free speech in the 21st century. We cannot expect government regulation of the media to solve the problems of political polarization that we currently face.
For 2 more points, write a response of up to 150 words to something posted on the other side of the issue
Discussion Post Expectation:
– Clearly state which side of the debate you are on.
– Provide at least 3 arguments for why you chose the respective side.
– If you have difficulty in coming up with 3 arguments, provide additional examples (with appropriate references/citations) that illustrate your understanding of the debate topic and support your view on the debate.
– Stick to the debate at hand. While background to the issue is important, keep it concise and focus on arguing why you chose the respective side.
Response Post Expectation:
– Respond to someone who has the opposite stand relative to your view.
– Provide at least 2 counter arguments referencing the arguments made by the person you are responding to. Don’t just say that you do not agree with their point of view. Support your disagreement with appropriate counter arguments (at least 2)
– If you have difficulty in coming up with 2 counter-arguments, provide additional examples (with appropriate references/citations) that counter the view of the person you are responding to.
