The Good Guys, the Bad Guys and the First Amendment: Free Speech Vs. Fairness in Broadcasting

The latest hyperventilation in Washington is the return of the Fairness Doctrine to introduce more "fairness" into conservative talk radio. Fred Friendly's book is the definitive study of the effects of the fairness doctrine back in the days of limited media outlets. In case study after case study, Friendly follows the rule from its inception and covers all the major court cases. The book is conversational, never boring, and will probably be cited by both sides in the debates that are happening now. While the book shows how the rule has been used to stifle blowhards, dangerous demogogues, and raging Mississippi bigots: it also stifled debate, free speech, and limited the marketplace of ideas. Friendly's book ended before the rule was killed by Executive Order in the Reagan years (1988).