Used to mean what it says, providing fair access to all opinions and a balanced presentation, even for the unpopular ones. (The Federal Communications Commission USED TO have a "Fairness Doctrine" hanging over the heads of TV and radio stations) Cynically co-opted by News Corporation's Fox News Channel (along with the slogan "We Report, You Decide") in taking advantage of the long-running Conservative mantra of "Liberal Media Bias", therefore assuming (successfully) that a Conservatively Biased News Medium would just be simply perceived as "more Fair" by its fans. Registering "Fair and Balanced" as a trademark was probably originally a defensive move, since case law apparently allows untruthful trademarks to be accepteded as "free speech", but they recently embarassed themselves with a failed lawsuit against satirist Al Franken for using "Fair and Balanced" in the subtitle of his latest book, not only getting thrown out of court but also providing oodles of positive publicity for Franken. (Rumors are that the suit was pursued under pressure from Fox News personality Bill O'Reilly, skewered in Franken's book and embarassed in their joint appearances. In an unfair, unballanced and inaccurate statement, O'Reilly said "If Al Franken is a satitist, I'm Jennifer Lopez". Which may explain the cancellation of Lopez' wedding to Ben Affleck.)

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