# Fox coverage of Trump campaign rallies and "equal time" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 14, 2018, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-coverage-of-trump-campaign-rallies-and-equal-time/822937 "2018-10-14T15:08:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2018, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-coverage-of-trump-campaign-rallies-and-equal-time/822937/1 "2018-10-14T15:08:01Z")
I don’t watch Fox so I didn’t know they have been airing all of his campaign rallies. While they were airing them, didn’t they run afoul of the equal-time rule? (Apparently the White House is now concerned because Fox has stopped doing that. One reason they may have stopped is that the ratings were poor.) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2018, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-coverage-of-trump-campaign-rallies-and-equal-time/822937/2 "2018-10-14T15:24:49Z")
[Equal-time Rule](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal-time_rule) > [@](#): > > There are four exceptions to the equal-time rule. If the airing was within a documentary, bona fide news interview, scheduled newscast or an on-the-spot news event, the equal-time rule does not apply. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2018, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-coverage-of-trump-campaign-rallies-and-equal-time/822937/3 "2018-10-14T15:57:32Z")
Don’t they show the rallies on cable, so the rule doesn’t apply anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2018, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-coverage-of-trump-campaign-rallies-and-equal-time/822937/4 "2018-10-14T16:43:22Z")
There’s still an equal time rule? I thought Reagan effectively got rid of it? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2018, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-coverage-of-trump-campaign-rallies-and-equal-time/822937/5 "2018-10-14T17:01:16Z")
> [@Twoflower](#): > > There’s still an equal time rule? I thought Reagan effectively got rid of it? That’s the [Fairness Doctrine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FCC_fairness_doctrine). Not the same thing but in the same ballpark. Somehow, however, enforcement of the equal time rule nearly dried up around that time as well. But it never applied to _cable_ TV. Mixing things up: One serious problem is that a lot of people think there are government rules preventing Fox News and such from lying and things. E.g., my mother believes this. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2018, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-coverage-of-trump-campaign-rallies-and-equal-time/822937/6 "2018-10-14T17:11:23Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Mixing things up: One serious problem is that a lot of people think there are government rules preventing Fox News and such from lying and things. E.g., my mother believes this. Fox News is “Fair and Balanced”. It says so in their tagline; what more do you want, fact checking? If Trump needs better ratings to get coverage for his rallies, he just needs to invite Kanye to offer color commentary. Those two are the new Burns & Allen. Except they’re both think they’re playing the Gracie role. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2018, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-coverage-of-trump-campaign-rallies-and-equal-time/822937/7 "2018-10-14T17:46:55Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Fox News is “Fair and Balanced”. It says so in their tagline; what more do you want, fact checking? > > If Trump needs better ratings to get coverage for his rallies, he just needs to invite Kanye to offer color commentary. Those two are the new Burns & Allen. Except they’re both think they’re playing the Gracie role. > > Stranger **Moderator Note** Let’s keep the political potshots out of GQ. Stick to the question in the OP. That goes for everyone. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2018, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-coverage-of-trump-campaign-rallies-and-equal-time/822937/8 "2018-10-14T19:13:42Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Don’t they show the rallies on cable, so the rule doesn’t apply anyway? I overlooked this. Yes, it applies only to broadcast stations. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2018, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-coverage-of-trump-campaign-rallies-and-equal-time/822937/9 "2018-10-14T20:31:52Z")
Correct me if I’m wrong (I probably am), but I seem to remember Donald Trump hosting SNL a few years ago and I’m almost certain he hosted it _after_ he had declared his candidacy for the presidency. I always wondered how that worked under the Equal Time rule and why all the other presidential candidates didn’t get a chance to host SNL. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2018, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-coverage-of-trump-campaign-rallies-and-equal-time/822937/10 "2018-10-14T21:19:41Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Correct me if I’m wrong (I probably am), but I seem to remember Donald Trump hosting SNL a few years ago and I’m almost certain he hosted it _after_ he had declared his candidacy for the presidency. I always wondered how that worked under the Equal Time rule and why all the other presidential candidates didn’t get a chance to host SNL. He hosted in November 2015. Clinton and Sanders both appeared on the show while running but didn’t host. How do you know they didn’t get the chance and turned it down? I couldn’t find out one way or the other. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fox-coverage-of-trump-campaign-rallies-and-equal-time/822937/11 "2018-10-15T09:52:21Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Correct me if I’m wrong (I probably am), but I seem to remember Donald Trump hosting SNL a few years ago and I’m almost certain he hosted it _after_ he had declared his candidacy for the presidency. I always wondered how that worked under the Equal Time rule and why all the other presidential candidates didn’t get a chance to host SNL. I remember reading how under equal time rule some of the lesser candidates were offered free airtime for their campaign commercials to counter this but a lot refused since they couldn’t pick the exact time or place of the ads.