The Seattle City Council has voted to endorse the Media Bill of Rights. The panel stated that "...a free and vibrant media...is the lifeblood of American democracy..." and that it is threatened by diversity-squashing corporate consolidation. It stated that a "small number of large media conglomerates" are minimizing competition in order to maximize profits. A major casualty is "an uninhibited marketplace of ideas in which the truth will prevail" and states that "it is the right of viewers and listeners, not the right of broadcasters, which is paramount." The action comes just days before interested parties in the city, including Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA) will be participating in an unofficial forum on media ownership, with FCC Commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein adding it to their record of road show stops.
RBR observation:
We're sure that the make-up of the Seattle City Council is not exactly the same as the make-up of the US Congress, but the US Congress took a big step toward Seattle's end of the spectrum 11/7/06. If the Democratic success turns out to be a trend rather than a one-time event, events like this one may become more and more common. Stay tuned.
Bill of Media Rights
Preamble
A free and vibrant media, full of diverse and competing voices, is the lifeblood of America's democracy and culture, as well as an engine of growth for its economy.
Yet, in recent years, massive and unprecedented corporate consolidation has dangerously contracted the number of voices in our nation's media. While some argue we live in an age of unprecedented diversity in media, the reality is that the vast majority of America's news and entertainment is now commercially-produced, delivered, and controlled by a handful of giant media conglomerates seeking to minimize competition and maximize corporate profits rather than maximize competition and promote the public interest.
According to the Supreme Court, the First Amendment protects the American public's right to "an uninhibited marketplace of ideas in which truth will prevail" and "suitable access to social, political, esthetic, moral and other ideas and experiences." Moreover, it is "the right of the viewers and listeners, not the right of the broadcasters, which is paramount."
But too often, our nation's policymakers favor media conglomerates' commercial interests over the public's Constitutional rights, placing America's democracy, culture, and economy at risk. Instead, guided by the principles that follow, policymakers must ensure that the Constitutional rights of present and future generations to freely express themselves in the media, and to access the free expression of others, using the technologies of today and tomorrow, are always paramount.
The American public has a right to:
Media That Provide an Uninhibited Marketplace of Ideas
* Journalism that fully informs the public, acts as a government watchdog, and protects journalists who dissent from their employers.
* Newspapers, television and radio stations, cable and satellite systems, and broadcast and cable networks operated by multiple, diverse, and independent owners employing a diverse workforce.
* Radio and television programming produced by independent creators that is original, challenging, controversial, and diverse.
* Programming, stories, and speech produced by communities and citizens.
* Internet service provided by multiple, independent providers who offer access to the entire internet over a broadband connection, with freedom to attach within the home any device to the net connection and run any application.
* Public broadcasting insulated from political and commercial interests that is well-funded and especially serves communities underserved by privately-owned broadcasters.
* Regulatory policies emphasizing media education and citizen empowerment, not government censorship, as the best ways to avoid unwanted content.
Media That Use The Public's Airwaves To Serve The Public Interest
* Electoral and civic, children's, educational, independently produced, local and community programming, as well as programming that serves Americans with disabilities and underserved communities.
* Media that reflect the presence and voices of people of color, women, immigrants, Americans with disabilities, and other communities often underrepresented.
* Maximum access and opportunity to use the public airwaves and spectrum.
* Meaningful participation in government media policy, including disclosure of the ways broadcasters comply with their public interest obligations, ascertain their community's needs, and create programming to serve those needs.
Media That Reflect And Respond To Their Local Communities
* Television and radio stations that are locally owned and operated, reflective of and responsible to the diverse communities they serve, and able to respond quickly to local emergencies.
* Well-funded local public access channels and community radio, including low-power FM radio stations.
* Universal, affordable internet access for news, education, and government information, so that all citizens can better participate in our democracy and culture.
* Frequent, rigorous license and franchise renewal processes for local broadcasters and cable operators that meaningfully include the public.
