Fairness or Confusion - Interpreting the Cullman Doctrine 13 Communications and the Law 1991

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13 Comm. & L. 3 (1991)
Fairness or Confusion - Interpreting the Cullman Doctrine

handle is hein.journals/coml13 and id is 189 raw text is: Communications and the Law

JAY BALTEZORE
ELIZABETH KRUEGER*
Fairness or Confusion?
Interpreting the Cullman Doctrine
Jay Baltezore (M.A., Washington
State University, 1991) is a
newscaster in the Washington, D.C.
area. Elizabeth Krueger (Ph.D.,
University of Wisconsin, 1988) is an
Assistant Professor at the School of
Communication at Washington State
University.
With the demise of the Fairness Doctrine, broadcasters have faced a
host of regulatory dilemmas concerning coverage of political issues.
Confusion has been the result. Has the ousting of the doctrine also
applied to its corollaries-the Cullman doctrine and the Zapple
ruling? Does it apply to the personal attack or the political
editorializing rules? This article addresses the first area of concern,
the Cullman doctrine. Little information exists which treats the
doctrine separately from the Fairness Doctrine, yet the Federal
Communications Commission has stated that it is a separate
element, outside the Fairness Doctrine, and for ballot issues, the
Cullman doctrine remains in effect.
This article provides an historical overview of the Cullman
doctrine, detailing its origins and current status since the ousting of
* Author's names are listed alphabetically.

Communications and the Law 3