Book · 2011 · History
What's Fair on the Air?
Cold War Right-Wing Broadcasting and the Public Interest
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In what's fair on the air, Hendershot writes, Joseph Welch's famous rhetorical question, "Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?" was not only televised live by both ABC and DuMont on day 30 of the hearings, but also repeated dozens of times on radio and TV that night.
Why people recommend it
What's Fair on the Air? by Heather Hendershot is an academic study examining the historical intersections of broadcast media, political ideology, and regulatory policies in the United States. The book was referenced by Robert Evans during a multi-part series on Behind the Bastards exploring the life and influence of industrialist H.L. Hunt. In May 2026, during the third part of the series, Robert Evans used Hendershot's book to provide historical context on the media coverage of the McCarthy hearings, quoting her description of Joseph Welch's famous rhetorical question about decency and how it was broadcast live across networks before being repeated extensively on radio and television that same evening. Earlier in the month, during the first part of the series, Robert Evans referenced another section of Heather Hendershot's work where she devotes an entire chapter to H.L. Hunt. In that context, the author documented specific biographical anecdotes about Hunt's upbringing, including familial details that Hunt himself viewed as evidence of his innate specialness. Throughout the podcast episodes, Hendershot's book served as a reliable scholarly source that helped trace the complex relationship between wealthy political actors, early broadcast media, and the shaping of American public opinion during the mid-twentieth century.
Every mention
Robert Evans She devotes a chapter to Hunt and she writes this that he had nursed at his mother's breast until the age o… 2
“In what's fair on the air, Hendershot writes, Joseph Welch's famous rhetorical question, "Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?" was not only televised live by both ABC and DuMont on day 30 of the hearings, but also repeated dozens of times on radio and TV that night.”
“She devotes a chapter to Hunt and she writes this that he had nursed at his mother's breast until the age of seven was a point of pride further evidence of his innate specialness.”
