Will changes in the nation s media ownership rules mark "the beginning of the end of our democracy"? A debate between the publisher of the Seattle Times and a Vice President at the Tribune Co. which owns 15 newspapers including the Los Angeles Times and Newsday as well as over 25 television stations; Who, What, When, Where, How? Did the U.S. Media Follow the Basic Rules of Journalism, or did they Follow the Flag ? Journalism professor Robert Jensen argues the U.S. media would fail Journalism 101
9:00-9:01 Billboard 9:01-9:06 Headlines 9:06-9:07 One Minute Music Break 9:07-9:30: Sen. Russ Feingold yesterday called on the Federal Communications Commission's chairman to postpone a vote on loosening the rules on media ownership. But FCC Chairman Michael Powell turned down a similar request from the two democratic FCC commissioners last week. The FCC is poised to vote on the proposal to relax the rules on June 2nd. The rules have not even been made public. Still, some things are known about the upcoming vote. Under the expected changes, for the first time ever broadcasters will be allowed to own television stations that reach more than 35 per cent of the country. They will be allowed to own a newspaper and broadcast outlet in the same market. And the four largest TV networks will be free to merge. That means that a single CEO could theoretically own all of the largest media outlets in the country. Analysts say if the revised rules are passed, the US will see a wave of media mergers and consolidation that is unprecedented in the country s history. Major media conglomerates such as AOL Time Warner, General Electric, Disney and Viacom, and Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. are all lobbying for the changes. Today, we continue our series on the FCC, with a debate looking at the impact on the newspaper industry. * Frank Blethen, publisher of the Seattle Times and five other papers in Washington and Maine. He has been a vocal opponent of the proposed FCC changes to the media ownership regulations. * Shaun Sheehan, Vice President and lobbyist of the Tribune Co. which owns the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, Newsday and 12 other papers and over 25 television stations. The Tribune has backed rewriting the media ownership regulations. 9:30-9:31 One Minute Music Break 9:31-9:58: The BBC producer who had his foot amputated after stepping on a landmine in Iraq has called on news organizations to continue using independent journalists in war zones despite the risks. Stuart Hughes was part of a four-person team filming the Iraq War in Kurdish-held territory. A local guide accidentally led them into a minefield. In the explosions, Stuart's colleague, cameraman Kaveh Golestan was killed. Thirteen reporters, cameramen and other media workers lost their lives in Iraq. Hughes told the London Guardian it was a terrible war for journalists. But Hughes is still insisting on the importance of independent journalism. He said: "We will always need people on the ground, independently forging ahead, finding the stories." He warned that the deaths of the journalists may be used as an excuse to push aside independent and freelance journalists in favor of embedding journalists with the military. Last night, media critic Robert Jenson spoke at St. Francis College in Brooklyn on the US coverage of the invasion of Iraq. * Robert Jensen, Associate Professor at the University of Texas School of Journalism at Austin. He is author of Writing Dissent: Taking Radical Ideas from the Margins to the Mainstream. 9:58-9:59 Outro and Credits Democracy Now! is produced by Kris Abrams, Mike Burke, Angie Karran, Sharif Abdul Kouddous, Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press with help from Noah Reibel and Vilka Tzouras. Mike Di Filippo is our music maestro and engineer. Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Emily Kunstler, Orlando Richards, Simba Rousseau, Rafael delaUz, Gabriel Weiss, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Karen Ranucci, Fatima Mojadiddy, Denis Moynihan and Jenny Filipazzo.
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