Why Copps Voted No
by Dave Bradley
Here is an excerpt from democratic FCC commissioner Michael Copps' dissent of the FCC approval of the Comcast/NBC-Universal merger: Click here to read the entire opinionAs for the future of America’s news and journalism, I see nothing in this deal to address the fundamental damage that has been inflicted by years of outrageous consolidation and newsroom cuts. Investigative journalism is not even a shell of its former self. All of this means it’s more difficult for citizens to hold the powerful accountable. It means thousands of stories go unwritten. It means we never hear about untold instances of business corruption, political graft and other chicanery; it also means we don’t hear enough about all the good things taking place in our country every day.”
As I said, this is an excerpt. Commissioner Copps’ dissent should be mandatory reading for every voting citizen and potential voting citizen in this country.
As a country we need the broadest divergence of views as possible to be presented to the public so that informed, well considered positions can be evaluated before decisions are made. To limit the spectrum of opinion available will be the very death of democracy. The Founding Fathers knew it in 1787. And leaders on all sides knew it in 1934 as rules were set up for the new media that were to come.
“Market Forces” is the current talking point as to why 95% of radio and TV news is controlled by the right side of the spectrum. Much like potato chips, having only one brand to buy doesn’t mean that the market says that brand of potato chips is best. It just means that when you can’t buy anything else, you will buy what is available and learn to like it.
Recently, I have compared the breadth of our broadcast opinion spectrum to that of the old Soviet Union press where if you didn’t like Tass you could go to Pravda. This was supposed to be a joke. Sadly, like science fiction, sometimes satire presages reality.
I could rant forever on this subject, but I believe George Carlin said it much better long ago. And as I just said, satire is becoming reality:
Thank you, Commissioner Copps. And thanks for the reality check, Mr. Carlin.
Dave
Bradley
E-mail Dave here
Dave Bradley is a self-described
retired observer of American politics “trying to figure out how we got
so screwed up.” An
Iowa City native currently living in West Liberty, Dave and his wife
Carol have two grown children who “sadly had to leave the state to find
decent paying jobs.“
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