it’s not really based on guessing… another comment here laid out exactly how the abolition of the fairness doctrine and rush limbaugh led to fox news and the conservative propaganda machine that you’ve got today

what we’re comparing against is the observed effects of, and changes since the repeal of the fairness doctrine. i agree its not a given that these things wouldn’t have happened anyway, but there’s at least correlations to draw from. the comparison with no basis is literally “would have found a way regardless”: that has no basis in observation

is it an ideal solution? na… but it’s better than letting propaganda from vested interests run amok

never let perfect be the enemy of good enough, or better