First came the revelation from Barbara Boxer that a suppressed 2004 FCC localism study had been unearthed, followed by the revelation that it had somehow survived destruction orders. Then came cries of protest from all corners of the far-flung anti-media consolidation universe. Now comes the inevitable click-and-send email campaign, aimed at the FCC. Part three of the standard EOE equation comes courtesy of one of the more powerful watchdogs, the Consumers Union and its HearUsNow.org project. In hits call for protest participants, the group's Morgan Jindrich wrote, "Last week, the Associated Press revealed a secret study by FCC staff that suggested greater concentration of media ownership would hurt local TV news coverage. The FCC had ordered its staff to destroy all copies of this report!" He continued, "The newly found report contradicts the FCC's 2003 rationale for allowing media corporations to gobble up increased shares of the media market. Millions of comments from people like you stopped them back then, and can stop them again today." Click through below to see the suggested message. Jindrich asks each participant using the template to find a way to personalize it.
HearUsNow
Don't cover up the facts. The FCC needs to make all relevant information available to the public -- including the local news study that was reportedly destroyed -- as part of its current media ownership proceeding. The FCC also needs to conduct a thorough investigation of how the local news study was suppressed and who was responsible. The results of that investigation should be released to the public immediately upon its completion. In addition, the FCC needs to adopt rules and procedures to prevent such important information from being kept from the public in the future.
I don't want the same company that owns my TV station or my radio station to also own my newspaper. I would just get the same news recycled for a different outlet.
I rely on my local media sources to find out about national and local issues. And I want to feel confident that I can get all the viewpoints I need to make well-reasoned decisions about these issues. I also want media outlets in my town to care about my needs and interests.
Thank you for your consideration of this important issue. I look forward to hearing from you about your efforts to ensure diversity, localism and independence in our media.
RBR observation:
All we know is the Willie Sutton theory, which holds that if you're going to rob something, rob something that has money. RBR has pointed out a pile of money which pharmaceuticals are going to spend. Perhaps their product is one which would benefit from awareness above and beyond the professional medical community. Maybe you won't get the entire budget. In fact, you probably WON'T get the entire budget. But maybe you can get into the mix.
