Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL), a member of the key House Committee on Energy and Commerce, said that it is important that Congress makes sure broadcasters are operating in the public interest, in light of the scandal gripping News Corporation in Britain. He added, however, that there is no link between consolidated media ownership and corruption.
According to a report in National Journal’s Daily Tech Dose, Rush stated that broadcasting is a privilege, not a right, said it was a critical resource for citizens. He added that freedom of the press and freedom of speech were critical elements of a democracy and that we cannot allow them to be compromised “…by corrupt and illegal practices.”
Rush is cheering on the FBI investigation which is trying to determine if any of the bad behavior in UK spilled over into the USA.
However, Rush is not necessarily calling for the break-up of News Corporation or other media conglomerates. According to DTD, he stated that there is no direct link between consolidation and corruption.
RBR-TVBR observation: There is no such thing as big is bad and little is good. Big can be very good and little can be extremely bad. You can’t just look at a scandal like this and say, “See, consolidation did that.” We congratulate Mr. Rush for keeping a grip on reality as he seeks to look into this situation.
