The second letter. ..I hope this one can do more.
Dear MoveOn member,
Things are really heating up in the media deregulation fight. We need
your help to take it to the next level. This week, we are rushing to
place provocative ads in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and
Daily Variety, focusing on Robert Murdoch of Fox as the poster boy of
media monopoly. This will cost us around $80,000. We're also
planning to place TV ads on the same theme, starting Thursday in New
York and Washington D.C., for another $100,000. Can you help us raise
the funds to make this happen? You can check out the ads and
contribute to run them at:
www.moveon.org/monopoly/June 2 is the Federal Communications Commission deadline, so we've got
to act now.
Today, we're joining with groups from the NRA to the National
Organization for Women to discuss the upcoming rule change with the two
Democratic FCC commissioners. We'll be there with a copy of our
petition -- over 15,000 pages of eloquent comments that make an
impressive case against media deregulation. It's an unprecedented
meeting: to our knowledge, FCC Commissioners have never before had to
resort to bringing opposing viewpoints literally into the FCC
headquarters to make their voices heard.
Unfortunately, there's no sign that FCC Chairman Michael Powell is
listening or slowing his pace. He's probably concerned that if he
waits
any longer, our momentum will grow to the point where a rule change is
no longer politically feasible.
That's why it's critical that we kick up the volume now. In
partnership
with Common Cause and Free Press, we have developed television and
newspaper ads that discuss the possible consequences of an approved
rule
change. The ads feature conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch, the
man
behind the Fox News empire. Under the new rules, Murdoch could acquire
hundreds of new outlets, and wield tremendous influence through biased
and one-sided reporting.
Check out the ads and help us run them at:
www.moveon.org/monopoly/It remains likely that the rule change will pass: the three Republican
commissioners seem unlikely to bend to popular opinion. But this is
just the first step in a longer battle. Congress is paying attention,
and it has the power to repudiate the FCC. Whether or not our elected
representatives take action depends on how much feedback they receive
on
this issue.
Ours is a majority, bipartisan position: Americans simply don't want a
few big corporations controlling their access to information and
entertainment. With your help, we can turn this situation around, and
maintain the laws that ensure a diverse and competitive media.
Sincerely,
--Eli Pariser
MoveOn.org
May 27th, 2003
P.S. Conservative commentator William Safire wrote a terrific
column last Thursday that illustrates why we should all be
concerned with the FCC rule change. Here's an excerpt:
"We've already seen what happened when the F.C.C. allowed the
monopolization of local radio: today three companies own half the
stations in America, delivering a homogenized product that neglects
local news coverage and dictates music sales.
And the F.C.C. has abdicated enforcement of the "public interest"
requirement in issuing licenses. Time was, broadcasters had to
regularly reapply and show public-interest programming to earn
continuance; now they mail the F.C.C. a postcard every eight years
that nobody reads."
You can read the rest at:
www.nytimes.com/2003/05/22/opinion/22SAFI.htmlP.P.S. In our first FCC outreach, I incorrectly wrote that the
proposed rules would allow all of the major television networks to be
owned by one corporate parent. That's not true -- while the new rules
would allow a single company to reach more Americans than it can
currently, the limit would be 45% of the viewing public. I apologize
for the error.
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RFW
