With many conservative policymakers and organizations taking a sudden pro-censorial turn and suggesting that government regulation of social media platforms is warranted, it’s a good time for them to re-read President Ronald Reagan’s 1987 veto of Fairness Doctrine legislation. Here’s the key line:
History has shown that the dangers of an overly timid or biased press cannot be averted through bureaucratic regulation, but only through the freedom and competition that the First Amendment sought to guarantee.
That wisdom is just as applicable today when some conservatives suggest that government intervention is needed to address what they regardless as “bias” or “unfair” treatment on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or whatever else. Ignoring the fact that such meddling would likely violate property rights and freedom of contract — principles that most conservatives say they hold dear — efforts to empower the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, or other regulators would be hugely misguided on First Amendment grounds.
President Reagan understood that there was a better way to approach these issues that was rooted in innovation and First Amendment protections. Here’s hoping that conservatives remember his sage advice. Read his entire veto message here.
Additional Reading:
- “FCC’s O’Rielly on First Amendment & Fairness Doctrine Dangers“
- “Sen. Hawley’s Radical, Paternalistic Plan to Remake the Internet“
- “How Conservatives Came to Favor the Fairness Doctrine & Net Neutrality“
- “Sen. Hawley’s Moral Panic Over Social Media“
- “The White House Social Media Summit and the Return of ‘Regulation by Raised Eyebrow’“
- “The Not-So-SMART Act“
- “The Surprising Ideological Origins of Trump’s Communications Collectivism“
The Technology Liberation Front is the tech policy blog dedicated to keeping politicians' hands off the 'net and everything else related to technology.