The Associated Press is reporting that:
“The Federal Communications Commission ordered its staff to destroy all copies of a draft study that suggested greater concentration of media ownership would hurt local TV news coverage.”
What was in this suppressed report? Well, read it for yourself. Thanks to Morgan Jindrich of Consumers Union for sending me a link to the report, which her organization has obtained. In an email she wrote:
“All this happens as the FCC is about to close the public comment period on the latest rounds of media ownership rules.”
Why am I not surprised?
Mass media cannot be trusted to cover this story. They are conflicted. Media companies want to get bigger. They have no interest in shedding light on rule-making processes that would cap the number of TV stations that can be owned by a single corporation.
So If you care about concentration of ownership, visit the Media Alliance and follow the links on its home page to learn more or register your views.
FYI, this is not a lost cause. The last time the FCC tried to let corporate media get bigger, a popular outcry prompted the House and the Senate to overturn the action.
So gird your loins for round two of the “should corporate media get bigger” battle. Unlike David, who only needed to be slain once, this beast needs to get smacked upside the head again.
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