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November 2003 Publisher's Statement On June 2, 2003, the FCC, under the chairmanship of Michael Powell (son of Secretary of State Colin Powell), brought media deregulation to a new and frightening level. Despite complaints from two people on the five-member commission-Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein-that not enough consideration was being given to the impact this latest round of deregulation would have, Powell and the two Republican members of the FCC, by passing these new rules, have virtually assured a round of media mergers that will see the control of information in fewer and fewer hands. How few hands? Here's what New York Times columnist William Safire had to say when he was crusading against the deregulation's passage: "It would end the ban in most cities of cross-ownership of television stations and newspapers, allowing such companies as the New York Times, Washington Post and Chicago Tribune to gobble up ever more electronic outlets. It would permit Viacom, Disney and AOL Time Warner to control TV stations with nearly half the national audience. In the largest cities, it would allow owners of 'only' two TV stations to buy a third. We've already seen what happened when the FCC allowed the monopolization of local radio [in 1996, during the first wave of media deregulation]: today three companies own half the stations in America, delivering a homogenized product that neglects local news coverage and dictates music sales." Just look at how Clear Channel, which now owns 1200 radio stations across the country, used the power it gained in 1996: They banned the Dixie Chicks from their play list because one of the groups members had bad mouthed Bush and they orchestrated "support our troops" (read: pro Iraq war) rallies across the country, thus proving they are not an unbiased news source. As for TV, antiwar protesters were already ignored before this latest round of deregulation: Although 27% of the population was against the Iraq war (according to a CNN poll), they only got 3% of the TV debate time, says Steve Randall of the watchdog group Fairness and Accuracy in Media (FAM). Monitoring all the major TV news outlets during a three-week period from March 20th to April 9th, FAM found that even when an antiwar position was given air time, it was almost always only for a sound bite. Randall notes that there was not a single sit-down interview for the antiwar position during this period, while the pro-war side got extensive interviews. Regardless of where you stand on the war with Iraq or any other issue, you have to admit that an effective, vibrant democracy can only exist with the free flow of information. If Powell's deregulation of media ownership isn't stopped, we won't have that anymore. Fortunately, because of a surprisingly strong outcry in Congress from both the left and the right, with people as diverse as Trent Lott and Barbara Boxer protesting the 3-5 vote, there is still a chance to save our democracy, if we act fast. Call or write your congressman today to make sure he gets on board the anti-deregulation bandwagon. A free America hangs in the balance. Larry Flynt Publisher |
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