150 CHAPTER 5|PUBLIC OPINION AND THE MEDIA
Third, most people do not consult a wide range of media sources. Instead,
they focus on sites whose take on political events is compatible with their own.
Thus Democrats look for sites that favor Democratic policies, conservatives look
for sites run by conservative individuals or organizations, and so on.^82 The use of
information supplied by political blogs shows the same pattern.^83
In short, despite the Internet’s wealth of information, there is no guarantee
that people will sit down, search for what they want or need to know, distinguish
truth from falsehood, and assemble their findings into coherent conclusions.
In fact, people may prefer to focus on events that capture their attention, such
as a new celebrity scandal or viral video, and thus avoid current events in
politics.^84Regulating the Media
The Communications Act of 1934 authorized the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) to regulate broadcast media, which at the time meant
radio stations and subsequently included television stations, cable TV, and other
communications technologies. FCC regulations considered the airways to be pub-
lic property, so no one had an inherent right to operate a radio or TV station. Rather,
station owners were expected to serve the public interest, as defi ned by the FCC.LIMITS ON OWNERSHIP AND CONTENT
A central concern in the 1930s was that one company or organization might buy
enough stations to dominate the airwaves in an area, so that only one set of pro-
grams or point of view would be available. Over the next two generations the FCC
developed regulations to limit the number of radio and TV stations a company
could own in a community and the total nationwide audience that a company’s TV
stations could reach.^85
The 1940s saw the rise of TV as Americans’ primary news source. Televi-
sion made it possible to report on stories using instantly accessible visual foot-
age rather than printed words—a crucial distinction, given many citizens’ lack of
interest in political events and issues. In fact, decades later a frequent argument
about public opinion during the Vietnam War was that declining public support
for the war arose from the fact that stories depicting the war’s horror fi rsthand
were a staple on nightly news broadcasts.^86 Although previous wars led to graphic
photos in magazines and newsreels, such images became much more common-
place with the advent of television.
In the late 1940s the FCC also developed the fairness doctrine, which
required TV and radio stations to broadcast a variety of political views.^87 As a
result, stations off ered debates and presentations supporting diff erent political
positions as part of their news programs, as well as talk shows and interviews
featuring diverse political fi gures. The FCC also created the equal time provi-
sion, which states that if a radio or television station gives air time to a candidate
outside its news coverage—such as during an entertainment show—it has to give
equal time to other candidates running for the same offi ce.Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) A govern-
ment agency created in 1934 to
regulate American radio stations
and later expanded to regulate
television, wireless communica-
tions technologies, and other broad-
cast media.
broadcast media
Communications technologies,
such as television and radio, that
transmit information over airwaves.
fairness doctrine An FCC regu-
lation requiring broadcast media
to present several points of view to
ensure balanced coverage. It was
created in the late 1940s and elimi-
nated in 1987.
equal time provision An FCC
regulation requiring broadcast
media to provide equal airtime on
any non-news programming to all
candidates running for an offi ce.