Interested in issues of media ownership?

Come to our discussion TONIGHT...
South Meeting Room in Scripps Dining Hall,
6:00 pm. Everyone is welcome.

We'll be talking about FCC deregulation and other topics relating to media legislation. Come to voice your opinions, figure out how to raise awareness about these issues around the 5Cs, or just to learn more. Here's some info from http://www.stopbigmedia.com:

"The Federal Communications Commission is once again taking up the issue of media ownership and deciding how media ownership rules should be changed. As FCC Commissioner Michael Copps has warned: 'They screwed it up once. Believe me, they're 100 percent capable of screwing it up again.' That's why it's crucial for the public to weigh in now. Here's what's at stake:

BIG MEDIA STIFLE VIEWPOINTS:
If a corporation like News Corp. can buy multiple media outlets in a single city or town, it gains immense influence over what information is available. Consolidated corporations strip local newsrooms of staff, while pushing aside competing points of view. That means less diversity of voices and a narrower range of debate.

BIG MEDIA DON'T SERVE LOCAL COMMUNITIES:
In exchange for their free and exclusive use of the public airwaves, broadcasters such as Sinclair are supposed to serve the public interest. Yet they frequently ignore important local issues, pander to sensationalism, provide biased coverage of elections, and stifle diverse viewpoints.

BIG MEDIA IGNORE DIVERSITY:
Corporate media conglomerates like Tribune Company are more concerned with profits than responsible programming. Coverage of issues important to people of color, the working class and rural citizens are squelched or ignored because these people aren't advertisers' target audiences. Without ownership limits, giant national corporations can buy up local stations and newspapers, eliminate diverse, local and independent programming. If the FCC is serious about fostering localism and diversity, it must enact protections against consolidated corporate ownership.

For decades, the biggest media companies have had the ear of the FCC and Congress, while the public has been ignored. As the FCC rewrites is ownership rules and Congress debates legislation that will shape the entire media system for years to come, it's time our policymakers listened to the public, not just the corporate lobbyists."