Media Policy 101

8/3/2019 Media Policy 101

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m e d i a p o l i c y 1 0 1

1

Symptoms o the media problem 3

Prot trumps the public interest 4

A handul o corporations control the media 5

The public is shut out o media policy debates 6

Who makes media policy? 7

Infuence and media policy 8

A ew key points 8

Who owns the airwaves? 10

The system isnt inevitable 11

Change the rules, change the media 11

Public interest media policies 12


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3

People rom all backgrounds and belies are concerned about the state o

our media You dont have to be a scholar or an expert to recognize thesymptoms o our media problem For example:

Instead o quality journalism about vital issues, we get inotainment,

sensationalism and celebrity gossip Entertaining or dramatic stories that

have no impact on our lives are presented

as news, while key stories about social and

political issues are let uncovered

Local perspectives and culture are vanish-

ing rom the airwaves, so the media look

and sound the same rom Alaska to

Florida

What you see in the media doesnt look

like the real world We see stereotypes

instead o nuance Important issues and

social groups are misrepresented or let out

altogether

Were bombarded with commercials,

billboards and product placements Entire

movies and V shows are made just to sell

spin-o merchandise

oo many people are stranded on the wrong side o the digital divide,

unable to access or aord a high-speed Internet connection

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Sources:

(1) Nielsen Media Research, (2) Radio

Advertising Bureau, (3) Pew Internet &

American Life Project, (4) Handbook of

Children in the Media.


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4

Most o the media that we see and hear is produced to make a prot not

necessarily to provide the inormation and quality entertainment we needCommercial media make money through advertising So media companies

create content that attracts the best audience or advertisers not content

that serves the best interests o the public

Controversial issues are ignored to keep advertisers happy4

Entire segments o our population Arican Americans, Latinos, Asian4

Americans, Native Americans, low-income people, rural populations,and others are ignored or misrepresented

Local political aairs, viewed as a ratings loser, are ignored4

V networks rely on violent or sexually explicit programming to grab4the most eyeballs and get the highest ratings

Cost-cutting in newsrooms results in less local reporting and investiga-4

tive journalism

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Sources:

(1,2) Center for Responsive Politics; Free Press Research, (3) OECD Broadband Statistics to

December 2006, OECD, (4) New America Foundation, The Citizens Guide to the Airwaves, 2003.

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5

Te ederal policies that govern media ownership allow a handul o ex-

tremely powerul corporate giants to control the media industry Troughmergers and takeovers over the past ew decades, major conglomerates have

swallowed up independent outlets, reducing the diversity o voices in the

media market while intensiying the conglomerates inuence

odays media owners not only decide what musical artists, V programs

and news reach us but they also decide how much we pay or it, how its

distributed, and how we can use it Tis gives them tremendous power

Its simple: You control the inormation, and you control the nation

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Sources:

(1) Writers Guild of America East, (2) BIA Financial; Free Press research, (3) Free Press research,

(4) Review of the Radio Industry, Federal Communications Commission, Media Bureau,

Industry Analysis Division, September 2003, (5)High-Speed Services for Internet Access as of

June 30, 2007, Industry Analysis and Technology Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, Federal

Communications Commission.


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6

Because o Big Medias tremendous inuence in Washington, media poli-

cymaking has been a closed and secretive process, and citizens have beenshut out o media policy debates So even though we own the airwaves, they

decide how media is created, nanced and distributed

In act, we are so ar rom these debates that we oten dont even hear when

they are happening Mainstream media conveniently ignore stories about media

policy Tey dont like to cover themselves: When Congress was voting to elimi-

nate longstanding media ownership limits in 1996, the nightly newscasts on the

major networks never once mentioned the elecommunications Act In act, theact was only mentioned on national broadcast V twice by ed Koppel on

Nightline and by cartoon character Lisa Simpson on Te Simpsons

Its up to concerned citizens that means you to change the system

Dont orget that policymakers are public ofcials, and its their job to serve

the public interest You have the power to hold them accountable; you

deserve a say in policy debates about the media issues you care about


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8

Media Policy BasicsIG MedIA has one o the most powerul special interest lobbies in

Washington In 2006, they spent more money on lobbyists than any

other industry, including the drug and oil companies Tese lobbyists try

to inuence policymakers in Washington to enact policies that will increase

Big Media prots, not serve the public interest

Trough their massive lobbying, Big Media wields enormous inuence inWashington Media policy is made behind closed doors In act, several

sections o the disastrous elecommunications Act o 1996 were actually

written by media industry lobbyists Tat kind o corrupt process is unac-

ceptable in a democracy

Our media system is complex, with many dierent types o media print,

broadcast and the Internet and dierent rules that apply to each Its

important or activists to know the basics Here are a ew key points on US

media policy:

Te First Amendment protects ree speech and reedom o the press Tat

means that media outlets television and radio stations, newspapers, Websites are ree to choose whatever kind o content they want Congress can

make laws to cover all sectors o the media system, but the First Amendment

generally prohibits government rom regulating content

Some types o media use public property to distribute their messages

For instance, V and radio stations broadcast over the public airwaves, andyour mobile phone uses them, too Cable and phone companies dig up public

roads to lay their wires Because these companies have been entrusted with

invaluable public resources, they have a legal obligation to serve the public

Congress and the FCC can dictate how they do so


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Tere are dierent regulations or dierent types o media Te more

dependent a media sector is on public property, the more power the

government has to enact public interest provisions So the government has

virtually no power to make rules or newspapers, but considerable power

to regulate broadcast V and radio because these media get to use public

airwaves or ree

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Who Ownsthe Airwaves?

Te public airwaves are the transmission requen-

cies used by radio, V and satellite broadcasters,

cell phone companies, Wi-Fi routers even your

V remote control to transmit signals

Although the airwaves are used or many dier-

ent purposes, they ultimately belong to you the

American public in the same way that your side-walk or your local park belongs to you Te airwaves

are a public resource

Some businesses, like cell phone companies, pay

the government to use the airwaves (also called

spectrum) Radio and V broadcasters, though,

use these airwaves ree o charge In return or thisgenerous government handout, broadcasters are re-

quired by law to serve the public interest

Even though citizens own the airwaves, weve oten

been shut out o debates over how these airwaves

should be used But because the airwaves belong to

us, we have a legitimate platorm rom which we canchange the rules and change the media


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Media PolicyPrioritiesoST PeoPLe ASSUMe that our media system developed naturally

as the result o market orces Teyre wrong Te system didnt

develop in response to market orces Instead, its the direct result o poli-cies made by Congress and the FCC in Washington

In crating communications policy, policymakers ace choices: How will the

system operate and whom will laws and regulations benet? Our current

policies have created a system that benets giant media corporations at the

expense o average Americans and their need or inormation and diverse

viewpoints

I we want to improve the media and create a more diverse and democratic

system that serves the public interest, then we need to change media

policies

Citizen activism can aect policy We cant match the massive unds o the

big industry lobbies, but as voters, citizens and constituents, we also havethe power to inuence policymakers We can match Big Medias market

power with people power I we change the rules, we can change the media!

Motivated citizens rom across the country need to join the movement or

better media Te next section will tell you how you can have an impact


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Rampant media consolidation has led to the decline o quality

journalism and the elimination o diverse, local, independent

voices Now the handul o huge conglomerates that dominate

our media want to rewrite the rules so they can get even bigger

Congress and the FCC need to block urther market concentra-

tion and diversiy media ownership

Soon nearly all media V, phone, radio and the Web will

be delivered over the Internet A broadband connection is ast

becoming a basic public necessity, just like water or electricity We

need to enact a national broadband policy to provide universal,

aordable broadband access to all Americans Congress andthe FCC need to protect Net Neutrality the principle that

prevents phone and cable companies rom discriminating against

Web sites and services they dont own

Citizens and policymakers need to prevent political intererence at

PBS and NPR and support a vibrant public and noncommercialmedia sector Tat means obtaining long-term unding or public

and noncommercial media including television, low-power and

community radio, public access programming, and independent

publications and Web sites


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We rely on the media or the news and inormation we need

to hold elected and corporate leaders accountable But media

consolidation has squeezed newsrooms, shuttered oreign

bureaus, and put countless journalists out o work Hard-hitting

news and in-depth local coverage have been replaced by celebrity

chatter, shouting pundits and other u We need to sustainquality journalism and support the individuals and institutions

that produce it

Media is a civil rights issue People o color, women, youth, and

other disenranchised communities have long been shut out

o our countrys media Teyre not represented on the publicairwaves We need to oster public policies that promote media

diversity, strengthen laws and regulations to support minority

ownership, eliminate institutional biases in media content, and

ensure air and accurate representation or all communities


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What You Can DoGet e-mail alerts and updates that will tell you what you can do to change

the media o sign up, go to www.freepress.net

Calls and letters really do make a dierence in getting members o Congress

to pay attention to media issues that matter At www.freepress.net/

policy_updates/congress_center, you can nd contact inormation or yourelected ofcials and learn about important legislation You can also call

the US Capitol switchboard at (800) 614-2803 and ask to speak to the

ofce o your senator or representative

Teres an old saying that the only way to beat organized money is with

organized people Every time you sign a petition, call your senator, post toyour blog, or write a letter to the editor about the media, encourage your

riends and amily to do the same Make media an issue or the groups in

which youre already active

Many media policy issues are local issues You can protest the renewal o a

local broadcasters license, negotiate with cable companies or public access

channels and lower rates, or get your city or county to develop a communityInternet project

Local activists are banding together across the country to ght or bet-

ter media Tey host events, meet with local media, organize rallies and

educate the public o see a list o groups working on media reorm near

you, check out: www.freepress.net/org_directoryCant nd a local group? Start your own!


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alk to your riends, amily, and colleagues about building better media

Write about it; talk about it; go to local events I your issues arent gettingcovered, you can make your own media Start a blog or create videos and

tell the story o whats happening in your community Spread the word!

Te Free Press Action Network is the new hub or media activism on

the Web

Tis exciting online resource allows users to discuss the latest media reorm

news, connect with other activists around the country, take action on the

latest campaigns, watch videos and much more Media activists rom across

the country have already joined the conversation

Help ampliy the chorus o motivated people who are taking action on

media issues that matter Check out the Free Press Action Network at:

www.freepress.net/action


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Media Policy 101

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