Journalism and the Media

"You know well that government always kept a kind of standing army of newswriters who, without any regard to truth or to what should be like truth, invented and put into the papers whatever might serve the ministers. This suffices with the mass of the people who have no means of distinguishing the false from the true paragraphs of a newspaper." --Thomas Jefferson to G. K. van Hogendorp, Oct. 13, 1785. (*) ME 5:181, Papers 8:632

.

"Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.": Jefferson, Thomas 3rd President of the United States (1801-1809)

.

"The closed door and the sealed lips are prerequisites to tyranny.": Stanton, Frank

.

Having followed the issues surrounding media consolidation, the partisanship at the FCC and the loss of independence of opinion in the media, it was curious that the recent FCC changes received little public attention or outcry.

.

One of several things that set the US apart historically from other nations was its Free Press.

.

The Brockton EmptyPrize has gotten nothing but worse and offers little of substance in the way of local coverage, mostly superficial, conspicuously lacking.

.

Media Nation recently commented Cross-ownership and new media and below are additional comments from assorted sources.

.

Will we live to regret the homogenization of our news outlets?

.
Media ownership rule tossed out December 18, 2007 FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission in a party-line, 3-2 vote, agreed Tuesday to overturn a 32-year-old ban and allow broadcasters in the nation’s 20 largest media markets to also own a newspaper. SunTimes

.
Divided FCC eases media ownership curbs Reuters


.
Free Press

.
FCC commissioner Michael Copps vs. "Big Media"FCC chairman Kevin Martin wants to relax rules on how many media outlets one company can own in one market. Democratic commissioner Copps wants to rally the public to stop media consolidation.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/12/03/media_consolidation/index.html?source=newsletter

.
CJR:
Journal Register Company: The Herald News (Fall River) Taunton Daily Gazette Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. Gloucester Daily Times The Daily News of Newburyport The Eagle-Tribune (North Andover) The Salem News Andover Townsman Town Crossings (Andover)

.
The Haverhill Gazette Media News Group: Berkshire Eagle (Pittsfield) Devens Commerce Journal The Groton Landmark The Harvard Hillside Lowell Sun North Adams Transcript Pepperell Free Press Sentinel and Enterprise (Fitchburg)

.
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_ownership

.
http://www.mediachannel.org/ownership/front.shtml#chart


.
Media Is the Key to Democracy
.


“Today’s Decision Would Make George Orwell Proud”


.


StopBigMedia