The AFL-CIO endorses the Bill of Citizens' Media Rights as the standard-bearer for our ongoing campaign to achieve that goal, as well as the goal of a diverse, competitive, reliable and unbiased marketplace of ideas. We urge our affiliated national unions to sign on to the statement and our state and local labor councils to support community efforts to hold local media accountable. We also look forward to continued work with our bi-partisan allies in Congress, particularly with the members of the newly formed Media Reform Caucus, on issues affecting media consolidation and telecommunications policy that will serve the public interest and protect our members.
And at the CommonCause blog:
Keep Up Your Phone Calls Asking for Investigation of New DeLay Scandals
By Murshed Zaheed
Posted on Thu Mar 10, 2005 at 12:01:28 PM EST
We are expanding the lobbying targets of our phone calls to the Capitol Hill demanding full scale investigation into the latest ethics scandals implicating Tom DeLay.
First, if you haven't done it yet, please put in phone calls to the Ethics Committee members urging them to launch investigation into DeLay's latest ethics mess. Since we sent our supporters an email on Tuesday afternoon, these ethics committee members have been feeling the impact of their calls. Keep them up.
We also want everyone to call the offices of the following members who represent the leadership of the majority party. Call their offices and demand them to urge the Ethics Committee to investigate the latest allegations against their colleague who we believe is ethically unfit to serve as the majority leader of the people's house:
Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL): 202-225-2976
Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO), Majority Whip: 202-225-6536
Rep. Eric J. Cantor (R-VA), Deputy Majority Whip: 202-225-2815
Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-OH), Conference Chair: 202-225-2015
Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA), Conference Vice-Chair: 202-225-583
Rep. John T. Doolitte (R-CA)
Conference Secretary: 202-225-2511
Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ),Policy Chairman: (202) 225-3361
Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-NY), Chair, National Republican Congressional Committee: 202-225-5265
When you are calling these members representing the Republican leadership in House, please keep in mind that you can call them and lobby them even if you are not in his or her district. The members listed above who make up the Republican leadership are accountable to all Americans, not just the citizens who live in their districts. The same is true for the Ethics Committee members - they may not be your representatives in Congress, but as a citizen concerned about the ethical behavior of current Congress, they are accountable to you.
Let us know how your calls are going.
****end snip
Oh My! A blog to watch:
Center for Creative Voices in Media Blog
News, views, and schmooze about media concentration and media censorship in America
a snip from this blog, dated February 27, 2005:
Wonkette Nails It
In her excellent article in Wired, Wonkette notes that FCC and Congressional "deregulation" allowed giant congloms Clear Channel and Infinity to buy up locally-owned radio stations and then replace local programming with Howard Stern and other "offenders."
For all Stern's complaints about the FCC, the truth is that government policies made him what he is today. When the government lifted regulations on radio station ownership in the mid-'90s, communications giants like Clear Channel muscled their way into local markets - so no more Dave in the Morning or Billy the Wonder Weasel. Larger-than-life national personalities like Stern and Rush Limbaugh replaced quirky local hosts. Stern can now be heard on 40 stations nationwide. He may be pissed at the FCC for telling him what not to say, but he should send them a thank-you note for allowing him to spray himself across such a big audience.
This, alas, is the clear link between increased media concentration and increased complaints about indecency. If policymakers really want to deal with the "indecency" problem, instead of simply raising fines, they ought to take a good look at their own culpability for supporting "deregulation" and roll it back.
****end snip
No comments:
Post a Comment