:: Diary of an Aging Protester ::

:: 5.23.2003 ::

I've been out of touch recently, trying to get some momentum going for the home stretch of the diss. and continuing to clean with Johnny on the Spot for $$$. However, dear readers, an urgent matter demands your attention as you probably already know. Below you'll find an email that my friend Anne Helwig sent me today about the attempt to deregulate media via legislation that's going through Congress in early June. My friend/colleague in arms Chuck who attended the town hall meeting at Emory U. has done a fine job reporting on some of the issues at stake and also in covers overall responses to the questions and concerns people in the audience had and the turn-out.

Our Democracy Needs Real News with Diverse Points of View: Stop Giant Media Corporations from Growing Bigger-and Serving Up More Bias, Mayhem & Infotainment
Just click on this link to send an e-mail (text below) to all five members of the Federal Communications Commission, urging them not to allow giant media corporations to grow larger.

If journalism provided us a healthy diet of balanced news-rather than an overdose of mayhem, fluff, and distortion-would we have been able to prevent America's invasion of Iraq? Would more people vote? Would our neighbors be less cynical and less fearful of each other? Would our democracy and collective spirit be stronger? We think so. Yet, if the Federal Communications Commission has its way, America's shameful "news" media will continue to undermine our democracy. On Monday, June 2, the FCC will vote on new rules allowing our nation's giant media conglomerates to grow even bigger by squashing the independent media outlets we have left. The new rules would allow a mammoth media corporation in one city to own eight radio stations, two major TV stations, and the largest daily newspaper. The news media is too powerful-and essential in our democracy-to be dominated by a few for-profit corporations. Tell the Federal Communications Commissioners not to approve this plan allowing further mergers by media conglomerates. Just click on the link below.

Then please tell anyone else you think agrees that journalism is the lifeblood of democracy by forwarding this link.

Sincerely,
Ben Cohen
President, TrueMajority.org
Co-Founder, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream*
:: posted by Doreen on 1:26 PM [+] ::
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