As with the first three gatherings, the fourth National Conference on Media Reform went conspicuously missing on the pages, screens, airwaves and cables of what attendees nowadays refer to as the MSM, mainstream media.

My recent search of the New York Times Web site for their coverage of the conference went unrewarded.

In spite of recent successes for the media reform movement and burgeoning numbers at the annual event, the MSM silence alone tells us there’s a lot of work yet to do.

From June 6 through 8, thousands of concerned participants met in Minneapolis to compare notes and plan strategy in the ongoing battle to expand what’s left of diverse, non-commercialized speech in the media of this country.

With each passing year, as corporate mergers and acquisitions of smaller businesses are rubber-stamped by the Federal Communications Commission and Congress, the list of all-powerful media companies shrinks.

Currently, just six giant corporations – General Electric, Time Warner, CBS, NewsCorp, Disney and Viacom, hold a majority of the cable, television, print and radio outlets available in our democracy.

As an example, consider that General Electric’s media-related holdings include television networks NBC and Telemundo, Universal Pictures, Focus Features, 26 television stations in the United States and cable networks MSNBC, Bravo and the SciFi Channel.

And that GE also manufactures and maintains the F-16 Fighter jet, Abrams tank, Apache helicopter, U2 Bomber, Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle, A-10 aircraft and miscellaneous military equipment, including planes, helicopters and tanks.

Throw in GE’s interests in such integrity-challenged industries as banking, financial services, insurance, health care and the oil, gas and nuclear energies.

Now, is it any wonder those GE media outlets haven’t exactly acted as public watchdogs in the lead up to or continuation of the invasion of Iraq?

Or why citizens continually find themselves surprised by long-simmering scandals among GE’s other subsidiaries?

While it is vitally important who decides what news, public affairs and arts appear in our media, there are other issues upon which NCMR attendees focused their attentions.

Alternatives to advertising-dependent commercial media actually exist in the form of publicly-funded media, not only broadcasting networks like NPR and PBS, but also Low Power FM radio, public access TV and independent publications and Web sites.

Imagine how our democracy would benefit if the increased diversity of perspectives such sources promise became as commonplace as the voices of commercialism. We may actually begin to think of ourselves as more than “consumers.”

There is an urgent need to foster quality journalism at a time when corporate takeover strategy typically includes the downsizing of staff and resources as a way to make a quick couple of billion bucks.

In my book, the support of quality journalism not only includes increased inclusion and advancement of female and minority reporters, but must also be contained within a mass movement to enforce and expand fair labor law in this country.

Two crucial battles now taking shape should concern readers who think democracy is a good idea. One is the need to inform those representing us in the House of Representatives they had best respect the overwhelming and demonstrated will (through hundreds of thousands of messages) of the people.

For the second time, a Bush-appointed chair of the FCC is attempting to enable further consolidation of media, an attempt the Senate has just rejected. Corporate errand boy Kevin Martin now needs to hear a resounding “no” from the Senate to this latest attempt to further monopolize OUR airwaves. Learn more at StopBigMedia.org.

The second issue that needs our attention now, rather than when it’s too late, is called Net Neutrality. It is a cliché by now that the Internet offers a real opportunity for nearly universal creativity and freedom of expression.

But it’s a mistake to take current freedoms for granted; big corporations didn’t get that way by bypassing the kind of profits they see in privatizing, commercializing and then restricting access to the Internet. The fight over Net Neutrality is raging right now and will, to a large extent, determine the shape of our collective future. Get involved by visiting SaveTheInternet.com.

In closing this week’s column, I find it difficult to choose between two quotes I find inspirational in the media wars. So I’ll include both.

First, the oft-repeated words of FCC minority member (one of two Democrats) Michael Copps: “If media ownership is not your number one issue, it has to be your number two issue, because the media is the medium through which all other issues are filtered.”

Finally, a rally from journalist and media reform champion Bill Moyers, as he delivered the keynote address to this year’s National Media Reform Conference: “It’s up to you to fight for the freedom that makes all other freedoms possible.”