Webmaster’s Note: This is an original article I wrote for an English class. I spent over nine hours working on this article through the research, typing, and revision process. I am deciding to publish the first draft on the site due to the timing of the FCC’s decision to rule on relaxing the rules on media consolidation in December of 2007. Already only a few major companies control what we see, hear, and read in terms of what’s perceived as news. Please read the article on the “FCC commissioner Michael Copps vs. ‘Big Media’” as background into reading this article. The webmaster plans to update this article in early 2008 depending what happens with the FCC and media consolidation.
The Changing Landscape of Media Communication
From Terrestrial to Digital Media
In the United States, a few major companies control the mainstream media. Federal Communications Board (FCC) is trying to pass a law to increase media consolidation. With increased communication media consolidation, there’s less diversity of opinion and coverage of important issues and events that happen locally and globally. Ten years ago, many people received their news through television and newspapers. Even though television and newspapers still provide news to many people today, the Internet has provided an alternative source in the communication media. Through increased availability of Internet and increased media consolidation of television and newspaper industries, many concerned Americans think the Internet can provide for more open coverage and diversity of opinions. In order to understand where our mainstream media lies today, we need to learn about FCC regulations of media ownership and how the mainstream press & American people use the Internet to write about different issues and topics.
FCC & Communication Laws
The Supreme Court tried to limit media ownership in order to increase diversity and to maintain the public interest. In 1969, U.S. Supreme Court case of Red Lion v. FCC, the Court ruled that “it’s the purpose of the First Amendment to preserve an uninhibited marketplace of ideas in which truth will ultimately prevail, rather than to countenance monopolization of that market, whether it [is] by the Government itself or a private licensee. It is the right of the public to receive suitable access to social, political, esthetic, moral, and other ideas and experiences, which is crucial here. That right may not constitutionally be abridged either by Congress or by the FCC” (Common Cause, 2007). In order to renew or gain a broadcasting license, media companies (television and radio) have to prove to the FCC that they’re serving the public interest. The public owns the airwaves and the FCC grants licenses to broadcasters with the understanding that they will serve the public interest. However, the landscape of media began to change in 1996 by the passing of the Telecommunications Act.
The goal of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was “to let anyone enter any communications business -- to let any communications business compete in any market against any other” (FCC.gov, 2007). The FCC had hoped to open the media market to all. However, the opposite effect happened in which media conglomerates bought and merged many radio, newspaper, and television outlets consolidating the media. Currently, United States Senator Byron Dorman believes that “six big companies in this country that affect largely what most Americans see, hear and read every single day” (Moyers, 2007). As a result, there’s a lack of diversity in news coverage since what we hear and see has been dominated by few sources. This act allowed for the increased consolidation of media companies from the AOL-Time Warner merger and Disney merger with ESPN. There’s still one important law that the big media conglomerates have to abide by: No one company can own more than one newspaper, television station, and radio station in one local media market. However, the current FCC is trying to change that rule. The FCC is trying to pass a law in order to allow big media companies to purchase multiple newspaper, radio, and television outlets in one market.
Kevin Martin, current chairman of the FCC, is trying to pass a “last-minute proposal to loosen media ownership rules, which will be voted on by Dec. 18. [As of December 2007], a company can't own both a daily newspaper and a broadcast outlet -- a radio or TV station -- in the same market without a waiver” (Witt, 2007). Few members of the American public actually know about this issue since there has been little mainstream coverage. More importantly, Chairman Martin has given “the public has only until Dec. 11 to comment on the new rules, with the FCC voting on them within the following week” (Witt, 2007). If this law passes, more mergers and consolidation will occur within the media industry. This will result in lack of diversity of opinion and media companies seeking more profit by selling more advertising revenue. People living in the United States need to become aware of the issue of increased consolidation of mainstream media by few companies.
Why Does Mainstream Media Consolidation Matter?
Consolidation of mainstream media decreases the amount of media coverage of pertinent issues for many Americans. Increasing concentration of media to fewer, big media companies can inform and can sway public opinion. The consolidation of communication media “involves not just owning the various channels of distribution, stations and the channels, but also vertical concentration, so they control production and content” (Witt, 2007). As a result, big media companies decide for the public what are important issues that should be covered. Much of mainstream media news coverage ignores issues prominent to different communities. How does the mainstream media cover issues pertaining to a broad spectrum of people including Latinos and African-Americans?
Even though Latinos and African-Americans represent a large portion of the population, there’s a lack of diversity of coverage in terms of important issues inside and outside their communities. In the U.S., African-Americans and Latinos “own 3.26 percent of all full-power commercial television stations, so is it any wonder then that their issues are not given the kind of coverage that they may like to have” (Witt, 2007)? The typical mainstream news coverage about African-Americans involves crime and drugs while a typical Latino story involves an immigrant trying to cross the border. Where are the stories that talk about the positive contributions made in the community? What are the important issues dealt inside of the community? The owners of communication media greatly influence what topics are covered and specifically not covered.
For communication media to serve the public interest there needs to be increased diversity in media coverage. Online journalist Louis Witt believes the “diversity of voices depends on ownership. If you don't have diversity of ownership, you're not going to have diversity of voices. So it's important to the future of our country. Our future is our diversity. That's our strength” (Witt, 2007). Without diversity, there’s no change and evolution in society. In addition, new ideas and concepts can’t occur without a diverse group of opinions. Currently, many Americans are trying to find alternative ways to become informed outside of mainstream media. Members of the mainstream press have noticed that they can increase their diversity and audience on the Internet.
Mainstream Press on the Internet
Many mainstream media journalists have decided to the write online articles about more issues not covered during broadcasts. Matt Frei, chair anchor of the “BBC World News,” writes a weekly Internet blog about some issues not covered in-depth by the mainstream press. In one of his blogs, he still believes that mainstream press still has great power in covering stories. He mentions that the BBC has a “bureau, field reporters and, not to be under-estimated, access to men and women in power” (Frei, 2007). Much of the mainstream press has now used the Internet to publish stories not covered on broadcasts. Matt Frei has written several Internet blogs on his life as an anchor, immigrants trying to attain an American visa, and his thoughts on Burma’s civil war. This BBC anchor has acknowledged the presence of the Internet has an alternative source in communication media. Many prominent investigative journalists already have seen the changing landscape of the media occurring right now.
A Pulitzer Prize award-winning journalist came to UC Davis to share his knowledge about being a journalist and the changing media landscape. In October of 2007, Seymour Hirsch of the “New Yorker” took part in a question and answer session. As a journalist, he has been recognized for his reporting on the Vietnam War concerning the Mai Lai massacre in 1969. More recently, he became the first journalist to write about the American military’s mistreatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison. He told an audience of journalists about an upcoming plan providing another alternative in communication media. Mr. Hirsch said that editors from the “Wall Street Journal” (WSJ) are gathering and training new journalists to specialize in writing Internet articles. Instead of writing articles for the actual WSJ newspaper, the journalists will write their articles online. Spending much of his life in investigative journalism, Mr. Hirsch has followed much the recent media trends. The formation of Internet journalists serves a unique purpose since they are going to cover stories not covered by the mainstream press.
Online journalism symbolizes a change over the creative process from the mainstream media. In a sense, mainstream media represents a city’s core that does not need to evolve or change due to social stability. On the other hand, Internet media represent what lies on the fringes of a city, a place that has limited resources and requires constant adaptive social change. Internet communication helps people evolve and prosper on the fringe of a city slowly makes its way to the core. As a result, that’s how a society grows and betters itself. In order to improve society, many Americans have decided to express their opinions online.
Citizen Journalism
Many Americans have decided to write their own online articles on websites and blogs in order to cover a wide array of topics not covered in the mainstream press. Some online writers have become independent journalists not working for a mainstream media company. Through the Internet, many concerned writers have turned themselves into citizen journalists. Jay Rosen, a journalism professor at New York University, thinks citizen journalists are the “people formerly known as the audience, who were on the receiving end of a media system that ran one way, in a broadcasting pattern, with high entry fees and a few firms competing to speak very loudly while the rest of the population listened in isolation from one another— and who today are not in a situation like that at all…The people formerly known as the audience are simply the public made realer, less fictional, more able, less predictable” (Rosen, 2007). Citizen journalists can now write about topics not mentioned in mainstream press from important community events to international affairs. In addition, Matt Frei of BBC World News believes that “the Internet has fuelled the democratization of information and the proliferation of opinion. It has unleashed an army of citizen journalists” (Frei, 2007).
Many citizen journalists write columns on blogs or personal websites. Online blogs help to increase open communication and create a diverse spectrum of thoughts and opinions from around the world. Mr. Rosen believes that “once they were your printing presses; now that humble device, the blog, has given the press to us. That’s why blogs have been called little First Amendment machines. They extend freedom of the press to more actors” (Rosen, 2007). Most blogs form an unedited version of people writing about what they believe in and care about. There’s no filter or editor trying to revise a blog for content.
There are lots online blogs concerning a multitude of issues and topics. Internet blogs can cover issues from national security and privacy on blog.wired.com to political analysis of American current events on dailykos.com. In addition, there’s a daily blog written about different kinds of food on foodgoat.blogspot.com People can now read and write about a plethora of ideas on the Internet. Through Internet blogs, more Ameticans have regained control of communication media. Even though online journalism has provided for an alterative to mainstream media, people still need to be more aware of the increased consolidation of mainstream media by few companies.
Conclusion
On December 18, 2007, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is going to try to pass a law to allow for increased media consolidation. Through this proposed new law, a media company can own more than one newspaper, one television station, and one radio station in one entire market. This increased media consolidations will decrease the media coverage of important issues to a local community. Important stories already are “funneled and filtered through big media, if they're lucky enough to get in that funnel at all… Then they're covered with the slant of a few particular companies. And it's not so much a political slant as it is a commercial slant. It's a commercial bias of…selling products to a particular demographic” (Witt, 2007). Much of the news coverage through mainstream media is spent to advertise a product instead of informing viewers about important topics. Fortunately, there’s an alternative to mainstream media coverage through the Internet.
Both professional journalists and regular citizens write articles about topics they care about. People do not have to go through an editor or filter to find pertinent issues online. Blogging and online journalism becomes a writer to reader experience where the writer informs the reader of an important topic he or she cares about. Online journalism provides a valuable alternative to commercialized mainstream media coverage. As mainstream media lacks diverse coverage of important issues, online blogs provide for a diverse multitude of opinions and ideas for Americans. In the end, there’s no expansion of ideas without diversity.
Cited Sources:
Federal Communications Commission. “Telecommunications Act of 1996”
“FCC commissioner Michael Copps vs. Big Media" By: Louise Witt
Bill Moyers Journal. “Minority Media”
BBC. “Washington diary: Geeks v hacks” By: Matt Frei
“The People Formerly Known as the Audience” By: Jay Rosen