The Seminal, May 15, 2008
By Jason Rosenbaum

The Senate just passed a "resolution of disapproval" nullifying the FCC's latest giveaway to big media companies!

Back in December, the FCC went against 99% of the comments submitted by members of the public and passed a rule allowing media companies to consolidate further:

The FCC voted to remove the “newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership” ban that prohibits one company from owning a broadcast station and the major daily newspaper in the same market. The resolution of disapproval (Senate Joint Resolution 28), introduced by Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), would nullify the FCC’s new rules if passed by Congress and signed by the president.

The resolution passed today. If the House passes the resolution as well and if Bush signs it (which is doubtful, so if the House and Senate overturn Bush's veto), the rule will be revoked.

Josh Silver at Free Press is cheering the move, as am I:

“At this watershed moment, public outrage against Big Media has reached a breaking point. The Bush administration’s threats to undercut this bipartisan effort in Congress show how out of touch this president is with the will of the American people. But we’re not going to stand idly by and let the White House green light Big Media’s expansion. The great pendulum of political change is swinging away from corrosive consolidation and toward better media.”

We must restore diversity and public control to our media markets and airwaves. The media that refuses to speak truth to power, that refuses to accept a share of responsibility for leading this country into Iraq and the never-ending "war on terror," that surrounds John McCain in a cocoon of favorable press and softball questions, is a direct result of media consolidation. Media owners care more about holding on to profits and power than they do informing the public or acting as a check on government or corporations.

If you want to restore the media to its watchdog status - a myth that might already be permanent - fighting media consolidation is a good place to start. At the very least, with less media consolidation, more room is opened up for credible, non-corporate media outlets to flourish.

As noted above, 99% of the public comments received by the FCC were against further media consolidation, yet the Bush-appointed majority went ahead with their corporate giveaway anyway. The Senate has stood up, and the fight moves to the House.

When actions become available for pressuring the House, I'll let you all know. In the meantime, email your Representative and urge them to support this effort.

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