November 21, 2009
UTNE READER

Undermining Effective Reporting: New FCC Proposals

May 10, 2002 Issue
By Julie Madsen 
Article Tools
Print
Comments
RSS
Bookmark and Share
M

RELATED CONTENT

ajor media industries--claiming to be suffering from the economic effects of 9/11--have successfully appealed to the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider several major directives that encourage media diversity. Jeffrey Chester, writing in Media Alliance, warns that such moves threaten to eliminate even more independent analysis of events, and at a time when they are very much needed.Two of the policies are particularly consequential: One is a 25-year-old regulation that prohibits one company's ownership of a TV station and newspaper in the same community, a rule that secures diversity of opinion in that community; the second rule limits the size and control of a single cable company. If these proposals go through, Chester says, we will be relying on even fewer sources for information."Twenty years ago, the FCC began its first major deregulatory thrust while under the leadership of Mark Fowler," Chester writes. "Fowler terminated many of the FCC's public interest policies, suggesting that TV be viewed as a 'toaster with pictures,' a simple household appliance requiring little oversight." Though we may take the media a little more seriously these days, Chester says that we will nonetheless suffer similar consequences, and then some.
--Julie Madsen
Go there>>
Bookmark and Share
RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print

Comments

Add Your Comment

We’d like to know what you think. To comment, please use this form. E-mail addresses are never displayed on comments, but they are required to confirm your comments. First time registrants: You will receive an email confirming your email address. Once you confirm, your comment will be posted. Questions about our comments policy? Click here.

Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br> tags.

New to Utne Reader?
Sign up to share comments.
Asterisks(*) indicate required fields.
Name*
Your name appears next to your comment.

E-mail Address*
This will be your login ID.

City State Zip Code

Password*


Confirm Password*

Comments
1500 character limit (Offensive materials and/or spam will be removed, no HTML allowed)
Please Note: Your sign-up must be verified via e-mail before your comment is published.
FEATURED ARTICLES
MOST POPULAR


Pay Now & Save $6!
First Name: *
 Last Name: *
Address: *
 City: *
State/Province: *
 Zip/Postal Code:*
Country:
 Email:*
(* indicates a required item)
Canadian subs: 1 year, (includes postage & GST). Foreign subs: 1 year, . U.S. funds.
Canadian Subscribers - Click Here
Non US and Canadian Subscribers - Click Here
Want to gain a fresh perspective? Read stories that matter? Feel optimistic about the future? It's all here! Utne Reader offers provocative writing from diverse perspectives, insightful analysis of art and media, down-to-earth news and in-depth coverage of eye-opening issues that affect your life.

Save Even More Money By Paying NOW!

Pay now with a credit card and take advantage of our Earth-Friendly automatic renewal savings plan. You save an additional $6 and get 6 issues of Utne Reader for only $29.95 (USA only).

Or Bill Me Later and pay just $36 for 6 issues of Utne Reader!