In what Marty Kaplan at the Huffington Post calls "the most bizarre example yet of GOP corporate welfare," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has proposed that -- in order to save the newspaper industry -- big-city papers should be permitted to purchase a television or radio station in their market. Read Marty Kaplan's blog post about the FCC's folly here.
As I wrote yesterday, The Fourth Estate is dying if not already six feet under. Common Cause suggests a four-pronged approach to preserving media's place in our democracy:
- Fight media consolidation
- Protect and strengthen public broadcasting
- Ensure the Internet remains a vibrant, open and competitive outlet for citizen discourse
- Develop and advance a longterm agenda for more democratic media
I said in yesterday's post that all of us should become proactive seekers of information. But if you, like me, value democracy...if you understand the importance of a free press...if you disdain superficial coverage of important issue...if you loathe the idea of information being consolidated into the hands of a few...you also need to play an active role in advancing the four tactics above.
For ideas on how to start, visit the Take Action page at Media Matters for America.
