by Mike Berger August 22, 2008 Once upon a time in America, the media would have presented the public with opposing views expressed by the professionals at Architects and Engineers for 911 Truth (ae911truth.org) when an agency such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) exclaimed, after years of research, that simple office fires led to the unprecedented collapse of WTC 7. Circa 1949 - 1985, the media followed what was known as the fairness doctrine. Now reduced to nothing more than a propaganda slogan by Fox, there was a time when holders of broadcast licenses were required by the FCC to present fair and balanced coverage on controversial issues of public interest. After all, the airwaves are owned by the public. There once was a time when the media let the public evaluate controversial issues on the merits of the arguments presented. Twenty-one years after President Reagan vetoed Congress' attempt to codify the Fairness Doctrine, many Americans still assume this doctrine holds sway.