People more educated than I think that repeal of fairness doctrine is related to RL and the increasing popularity of conservative media

www.npr.org/2025/07/06/1...

theamericanleader.org/timeline-eve...

www.cato.org/blog/when-co...

That’s pretty rude and harsh. I don’t think repealing the fairness doctrine or any other single thing during Reagan destined us for the rise of Trumpism, but I also don’t think Reagan had absolutely nothing to do with it either. This was one tiny example. I never said I’m more educated than anyone.

I never said, and don’t think, that three decades is almost overnight.

He wasn’t nationally syndicated until the after repeal of the fairness doctrine.

I’m not even saying the fairness doctrine is a primary root cause of the rise of Trumpism. I brought it as something that happened under Reagan that I, and others, see as related to increasingly partisan and polarized media. One example of little things undone dating back to Reagan.

I’m not saying the fairness doctrine is the one and only reason we are where we are. But you don’t think what happens in the US can influence other parts of the world?

Fairness doctrine had nothing to do with Rush Limbaugh and similar conservative voices?

I did admit it was not correct to say Fox News but I did genuinely mean Fox News as a phenomenon of partisan media and misinformation and not *strictly* Fox News itself and no other sources. In my head that included people like Rush but I didn’t say it like that.

*sigh*

It was a rule. And maybe I shouldn’t have said Fox News specifically because it technically wasn’t affected, but I think you could understand contributing factors and trends if you wanted to.

How Rush Limbaugh’s rise after the gutting of the fairness doctrine led to today’s highly partisan media - Poynter Limbaugh’s success after President Reagan declawed the doctrine gave rise to others and provided encouragement for Fox News’ 1996 launch.

www.poynter.org/reporting-ed...

Reagan abolished the fairness doctrine, which arguably paved the way to Fox News. I don’t think fascism is a natural extension of conservatism, and Reagan wouldn’t have done what’s happening now, but he still did some things that enabled all this.

I would add: ban sirens, cars honking, and car crash sounds for any ads played on the radio or audio apps like music/podcasts.