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From a Free Press Email Alert:
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and his two fellow GOP commissioners approved new rules that will unleash a flood of media consolidation across America. The rules will further consolidate local media markets -- taking away independent voices in cities already woefully short on local news and investigative journalism.
In 2003, the FCC tried to do the same thing, but millions of people demanded that Congress reject the FCC's rules. And they did. It's time to do it again.
Amy Goodman gave further detail on the rule changes on Democracy Now!
Martin would increase media consolidation by relaxing the rules for companies seeking to own both a newspaper and television or radio station in the same city.
Free Press has an open letter to Congress which they are urging people to sign.
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This is huge, once Murdoch got into the UK it wasn't long before leaders went to him to gain approval. This move would multiply that by several magnitudes, only corporate approved people would get a fair coverage and for profit corporate politics are not exactly community friendly. This is one of those key moments (a tipping point even) whose effects will permeate for decades and will be virtually impossible to roll back if the corporate pwnd FCC get away with it. And they full well know this is about consolidating conservative free market ideology into the very culture of the media landscape. However bad things may be now this will simply banish dissent from mainstream discourse. This is Mussolini styled fascism.
You are correct. I just disagree with the term "free market" in this case, though I don't think you are using it in a complimentary sense. "Free market" ideology really means a complete lack of freedom for the people to have any say in their lives through their elective representatives. The rightists have dominated the discourse in so many ways, their terminology sometimes sneaks its way into our discussions.
Oh yes, free market ideology is a complete misnomer (although in the UK you get used to this, eg. 'public schools' are private fee paying institutions for the elite), it is merely a brand name to obscure in a very Orwellian way a process of redisributing wealth upwards while simultaneously removing as much power from the democratic process as possible.
The economic system becomes inviolate and above politics, your freedom becomes merely the choice of what you buy which of course means the poorer you are the less freedom you have. Although in this case that 'freedom' is a very narrow definition anyway, what it clearly becomes is a corporate dictatorship where capital defines the person and their status.
Even if the pure theorised free markets magically came into existence the theory is predicated on flawed models of human behaviour (only psychopaths perform as perfect market organisms). However as those models enable the redistribution upwards they are lavishly funded and thus have become orthodoxy even described as 'common sense'. But the individual is blackmailed to perform as the system requires or literally starve. 'Wage slave' is actually a pretty good term to describe the situation. Free to be a predator in a society where the big animals have rigged the rules anyway. Rant over. But I guess I am talking in larger cultural context there.
In this case the theory at least has some relevance as it applies to business not people, but it is shown for the sham it is-
competition is good-> regulation is bad-> which leads to no competition.
It is the freedom of the dominant to take what they may. Even Adam Smith believed in regulation but corporate funded intellectual culture is rewarded to ignore that and parade their siliness in the WSJ & others. Bad enough media was all commercial and prey to owners and deferential to business interests, but worse still if those owners dwindle to a handful of oligarchs. Already I think we have seen cross ownership means war profiteers also controlled media thus a war was sold to us very efficiently. It's not a new thing, but changing from those mistaken ways would be progress which clealry this isn't. Almost feudal in some ways. Then there is the blatant ruling againt the majority's wishes, so in its simplest, this should not be political, this is base corruption of democracy by wealthy interests. Again not hugely new, but again wouldn't progress be nice, I mean just for a change at the very least.
Just wanted to stop by and wish you a Merry Holiday Libhomo.
Or, if that doesn't work for ya..have a nice extra day off ;)
Murdoch just sold a bunch of tv stations to one of his reighwing cronies..the group would of bought more except this law is still in place and they couldn't.
Probably why they are pushing to change it.
action taken, oh people if you haven't you simply MUST read the Shock Doctrine. No matter how well informed you already are, you will learn more, and it has an important frame work documented that is essential we understand in order to shock proof ourselves and know where we are going.
I am starting to ID as a Democratic Socialist thought that is just an aside.
the FCC stuff fits neatly into the Disaster Capitalism model of the Chicago School of Friedman Economics. These are radical free marketeers people of the hollow shell form of government. literally !
free markets and democracy,freedom of course do not go hand and hand. The two have been blurred in our public discourse. While the people in nations world wide, and here too are robbed blind of essential services , civil rights, and solid economy that works for the workers.
Happy New Year GLH!