CONCENTRATION WATCH: Will Ownership Rules Be Trashed Behind Our Backs? Updated November 28, 2001 In the wake of September 11, many critics have voiced concerns about the narrow range of debate in the corporate media. Now the U.S. government is considering decisions that could reduce media diversity even further. But while some congressmen, the Newspaper Association of America and other groups representing big media companies are urging the Federal Communications Commission to drop ownership rules, and while the station owners of the National Broadcasters' Association fight to keep some restrictions, where is the voice of the public, the consumer? The FCC's unfriendly process for filing comments is sure to put off citizens who have little information about an issue that is barely covered outside the trades. MediaChannel is on the case to help you understand the issues and get your voice heard.

TAKE ACTION: Activists Challenge Deregulation New online tools from the Center for Digital Democracy make it easy to file comments with the FCC and join a letter-writing campaign to demand that policymakers preserve media ownership limits. From Center for Digital Democracy Advocating Diversity: The Argument For Ownership Limits The only public-interest law firm dedicated to media policy issues offers this overview of ownership regulations, arguing that FCC limits on concentration help promote democracy. From Media Access Project Is Media Concentration A Myth? Opendemocracy's media concentration debate continues as David Elstein and Ben Compaine reject Robert McChesney's defense of his conclusions that democracy's in danger. TAKE ACTION! The FCC must consider public comments when it revises rules. FAIR urges you to voice your concerns. The State Of The Ownership Debate AOL Time Warner declares a "free speech" right to buy AT&T's cable TV business. Massive media companies (including those three who already own more TV stations than the law allows - News Corporation/Fox, Viacom/CBS and GE/NBC) claim that consumers are better served when local TV is owned by a huge national corporation. They argue that increasing numbers of cable and satellite channels and the growth of the Internet make ownership restrictions outdated. But opponents say the same few giants dominate in all media, locking out consumer choice, independent Web sites and programming, local journalism and political debate. From Civil Rights Forum on Communications Policy The Radical Vision Of The FCC Chief Michael Powell wants every FCC rule "vindicated or eliminated." But what does "vindication" mean for a man who has notoriously scoffed at public-interest, digital-divide and media diversity concerns? From FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) FCC: Industry's Puppet? The digital age has given this federal agency unprecedented power, but has it fallen under control of the very corporations it is supposed to regulate? From Mother Jones online Is Media Concentration Killing Journalism? Corporate pressures and cost-cutting led to U.S. media largely abandoning foreign news, and now, when the need for global understanding is more obvious than ever, media deregulation could make it worse, counsels Molly Ivins. From NewsForChange TAKE ACTION! Alliance for Community Media's Legislative Action Center makes it simple for Americans to find and contact their Senators and Representatives. PLUS: Action Alerts on new laws threatening public-access media. The Media-War Connection News Dissector Danny Schechter wonders if there is some quid pro quo between the government and the mainstream media involving uncritical coverage of the "war on terrorism." From MediaChannel.org What Will The Public Lose? History shows us that media concentration can undermine effective journalism, warns Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy. From Alternet. "Telecom For Dummies" From Village Voice, September 11, 2001 MediaChannel's Media Concentration Chart From MediaChannel.org, April 4, 2001 Why Ownership Matters From Global Issues Report: The Legislative Agendas Of Media Companies From The Center for Public Integrity, July 24, 2001 The FCC's Handbook On Participation From The Federal Communications Commission Salon's Series "The Media Borg" From Salon.com, June 26, 2001   What's Your View? Speak Out in the MediaChannel Forum. AS THE MEDIA WATCH THE WORLD, WE WATCH THE MEDIA.