FCC establishes the Fairness Doctrine, requiring balanced broadcast coverage

The Federal Communications Commission issues its Report on Editorializing by Broadcast Licensees, establishing what becomes known as the Fairness Doctrine. The policy requires broadcast license holders to cover controversial public issues and present contrasting viewpoints. By conditioning license renewal on content compliance, the FCC creates a structural mechanism linking editorial choices to government approval. Broadcasters who fear losing their licenses have strong financial incentives to self-censor or avoid coverage that might provoke regulatory retaliation. The doctrine stands for 38 years before the Reagan administration dismantles it in 1987, but its underlying logic — that the FCC can police broadcast content through the licensing process — persists.