The right of access to the media in the United States

In the United States, the "fairness doctrine" was approved in 1949 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in order to promote the right of access to the media. This set two premises for the audio-visual media: a) to assign a reasonable amount of broadcasting time for controversial subjects of public interest; b) to offer opportunities for expression to the affected parts of a controversy. Nevertheless, due to a deregulation policy, between 1987 and 1991, the FCC itself dissolved this doctrine in relation to most issues of public interest. However, nowadays its founding principles are still being reclaimed: to achieve a greater level of equal access to the mass media and to reinforce pluralism in public debate.