"Equal Opportunities" and "Fairness" in Broadcast Coverage of Politics

• Author: Michael J. Petrick
• Published date: 01 September 1976
• Date: 01 September 1976
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/000271627642700109
• Subject Matter: Articles

73

"Equal

Opportunities"

and

"Fairness"

in

Broadcast

Coverage

of

Politics

By

MICHAEL

J.

PETRICK

Michael J.

Petrick,

Ph.D.,

is

Associate

Professor

of Journalism

at

the

University

of

Maryland.

He

is

co-author

of

Using

the

Mass

Media:

Communication

Problems

in

American

Society.

ABSTRACT:

Government

regulation

of political

broadcasting

is

grounded

in

the

laudable

goals

of

providing

candidates

for

office

with

"equal

opportunities"

to

inform

the

citizenry

via

the

public

airwaves

and

of

promoting

general

"fair-

ness"

in

broadcast

coverage

of

controversial

political

issues.

Congress

has

mandated

these

principles,

and

the

courts

have

played

some

role

in

interpreting

them.

But

day-to-day

problems

of

implementation

and

clarification

fall

on

the

Federal

Communications

Commission.

A

review

of FCC

de-

cisions

suggests

that

enforcement

and

interpretation

of

the

"equal

opportunities"

requirements

has created

uncertainty

among

candidates

and

broadcasters

alike

and

has

discouraged

bold

and

controversial

political

broadcasting.

In

attempts

to

apply

the

"fairness"

principle

to

broadcast

coverage

of

poli-

tics,

the

FCC’s

piecemeal approach

has

resulted

in

charges

of

partisan

decision

making,

of

over-deference

to

broad-

casters,

and

of

interfering

with

broadcast

journalism.