Issue Area: Telecom Policy

The United States' original communications policy is the 1st Amendment. Freedom of the press was guaranteed in the Constitution because an exchange of information and an unfettered debate were considered essential components of a democratic society.

Today, however, government policy is designed less to facilitate a democratic discussion than to protect the investments of media corporations. Regulations tend to promote the formation of huge media conglomerates and discourage new, competing voices.

Next in What's Wrong With the News: The PR Industry

Extra Articles and Studies
The Wright Stuff (Update April 2000)

Putting the Public Back in Public Media: Access channels offer an alternative (November 2009) By Julie Hollar

Right-Wing Witch Hunt Reaches FCC: Glenn Beck and friends attack diversity officer Mark Lloyd (November 2009) By Aura Bogado

Less...
Memory Unerased: Deep Dish documents the unseen Iraq War (September/October 2006) By Robin Andersen

Shredding Bad News at the FCC: Studies with 'wrong' results were disappeared (Update October 2006) By Julie Hollar

Strings Attached: Telecom industry’s spin machine casts net over community broadband (September/October 2005) By Michelle Chen

The Fairness Doctrine: How we lost it, and why we need it back (January/February 2005) By Steve Rendall

Even Fewer Voices?: During crisis, FCC moves to accelerate media concentration (November/December 2001) By Janine Jackson

FCC's Interference Argument Grounded: Commercial Radio, Not Micropower, Is More Frequent Hazard for Aviation (January/February 1999) By Tracy Jake Siska and Dharma Bilotta-Dailey

Net Loss:: Corporate Moves Could Doom the Internet's Participatory Culture (May/June 1996) By Frank Beacham

Media Monopoly: Long History, Short Memories: ABC Was Born Out of Fear of Media Consolidation (November/December 1995) By Jim Naureckas

Radio Days: A Struggle From the Past With a Message for Today (July/August 1994) By Laurien Alexandre

Superhighway for Sale: Will the Public Have Room on the Road? (July/August 1994) By Frank Beacham

Radio Broadcasts
Bart Laws on swine flu, Kristin Thomson on radio diversity study (5/8/09)

Robert Parry on conservative bias, Brandon Lacy Campos on digital TV conversion (2/20/09)

Mark Brenner on Big 3 bailout, Steve Rendall on the Fairness Doctrine (11/28/08)

Action Alerts and Advisories
Coup Co-Conspirators as Free-Speech Martyrs: Distorting the Venezuelan media story (5/25/07)

FCC To Investigate Suppressed Reports: But presses on with proceedings on media ownership (9/20/06)

FCC Destroyed Media Ownership Report: Study found local ownership means more local news (9/15/06)