Stalwart Dan Gillmor:
I'll be saying more about this in coming days, but it's pretty clear that the FCC will soon give media conglomerates even more authority to buy up more broadcasting outlets and newspapers. This Washington Post report looks mostly at the impact on local TV, which will be considerable, but the damage will be much, much more widespread.
The FCC's move, which is all but certain, will not bring immediate disaster. In the long run, moreover, the Net could help mitigate the worst of the effects -- though forces of centralization are working there, too.
You've seen little coverage. No surprise. The people who stand to benefit the most do not want you to know what a bad idea this is -- heck, they don't even want you to realize there's an issue.
There's still some time to get your member of Congress to put pressure on the Republican members of the FCC who seem so hell-bent on making media safe for monopolization. One good place to start is MoveOn.org, which has a write-your-congressperson page.
Do write, and call. This is serious stuff, and it's getting late.
