Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. Federal Communications Commission, 395 U.S. 367 (1969), was a seminal First Amendment ruling at the United States Supreme Court.

When Cook learned about the broadcast, he demanded free airtime on WGCB to respond to Hargis's personal attacks against him, which was permissible under the Fairness Doctrine.

[2] The United States Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit ruled in favor of the FCC, holding that the Fairness Doctrine did not violate any parts of the Constitution.

Regardless, in upholding the Fairness Doctrine, the Court based its rationale on challenges created by the scarce radio spectrum, because broadcast media outlets were limited at the time.

The Fairness Doctrine required that those who were discussed or criticized be given the chance to respond to the statements made by broadcasters, and the Court believed that this helped create a more informed public.

[6][7][8] However, the ruling is still being used as a precedent in disputes over much later mass media technologies that have made concerns over scarce frequencies largely obsolete.