The US media system is at a critical juncture. What we as citizens do — or don't do — now will make all the difference.

Yesterday, the New York Times revealed [1] that Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Kevin Martin is rushing through a plan to rewrite media ownership rules by the end of the year, making it possible for the biggest media companies to continue their march toward consolidation. And he's doing it without giving the public a fair chance to respond.

The FCC under then-chairman Michael Powell tried to do this in 2003, and nearly 3 million people rose up in protest. This massive public outcry forced Congress to reject the FCC's decision, and the courts sent the agency back to the drawing board. But in a move that even Powell calls "courageous," Martin is trying to quickly and quietly ram through this massive giveaway before the Bush administration leaves office.

Martin has a history of working behind closed doors on behalf of big media companies. Whatever hearings and studies may be rushed out in the coming weeks by the FCC establishment, it's clear that the chairman has already decided to change the rules to favor further consolidation.

During his tenure at the FCC, Martin has consistently gamed the regulatory process — hiding research, leaking sensitive information to industry lobbyists, pushing forward a biased research agenda and making critical decisions in secret — while putting up an official façade of proper procedure.

Fortunately, some members of Congress have had enough of this regulatory subterfuge. Democratic senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota stated: "If the chairman intends to do something by the end of the year, then there will be a firestorm of protest, and I'm going to be carrying the wood."

Dorgan teamed up with Mississippi Republican senator Trent Lott in a letter warning Martin to "slow down" and "proceed with caution." Amen. It is a breath of fresh air to see politicians laying partisanship aside to do the right thing for the American people.

These senators prove that media is not a left-right issue, but one of concern to people from all walks of life. It is simply unacceptable for a self-governing people to tolerate any public policies that reduce the diversity of opinion in our democracy.

For too long, everyday Americans have been kept in the dark about the media policies that inform and shape the democratic debate that guides our society. This is unsustainable, and the great pendulum of political change is swinging. It is swinging away from big media companies that would bankrupt the public interest for quick profits. It is swinging toward change.

The momentum in the media reform movement comes from people frustrated by what is happening to news and journalism in this country. They witness every day how celebrity nonsense, talking head shouting matches and glorified stenography dominate the news.

The poverty of news content is not the fault of work-a-day journalists — among the most hardworking people on the planet. The problem sits squarely on the shoulders of public policies that make it good business to form massive media conglomerates whose mission is to cut costs, shed reporters and reduce output to the lowest common denominator.

But when the spotlight is put on the process, the public interest always wins. It is why corrupt insiders work so hard to keep the policymaking process hidden behind closed doors, and then try to pollute public discourse with the most outrageous, misleading propaganda.

Media ownership is a citizen issue of urgent importance — consolidation is a one-way street and there's no turning back. Rich media equals poor democracy.