Last week, a vote in the U.S. Senate took place that affected all of us.
No, it wasn't the freedom that hog-riders no longer need to protect their noggins while riding. (Which, by the way, is kind of ludicrous considering I still have to buckle up every time I enter a car).
It's something much more serious and with more lasting repercussions than a couple of stupid biker dudes braving the dangers of going helmet-less.
I'm sure you're probably asking, "What is it ?" The reason you don't know is because of a complete lack of information.
The vote that affects us all is about the news and where we get it from. It's about who can own, distribute and influence our society.
The head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Colin Powell's son Michael, does a good job of trying to keep the FCC out of the news. That's funny, considering that's what the FCC is supposed to do; regulate, or as in most recent cases, deregulate. Deregulation -- laissez-faire, free market, you know, capitalism in all its fine grandeur.
This deregulation created a few media monopolies controlling all the news access in our country. Contrary to the point that free trade will promote democratic values, it filters out all those voices to weak economically.
But last week, a Senate committee finally realized that all this free market jazz, well, it meant some things; it meant there are only a few players in the media market and fewer news sources and oligopoly-like business practices. Back in June, the FCC voted to ease limits on who can own local radio and TV stations. This deregulation measure would have allowed a single media company to reach 45 percent of the television audience through local television ownership. This deregulation was supposed to begin last week, but at the last minute, the Senate blocked the FCC measure from taking effect.
Under this measure, local news coverage would have suffered, being that the company with the most money could buy more channels and reach more audiences. This in turn would gain them even more money from advertisers, allowing that media company an opportunity to buy up even more media entities. This would continue until only a few companies own the whole system, and all of our public information is controlled by groups of people with interests in other businesses as well.
What's the problem with this?
Um ... we only get half the picture of anything. Granted, any news source is going to be slanted toward its own interest for profit.
The problem is, this may have been a limited last-ditch effort at keeping our major news sources from being an oligopoly when it's possible they already are.
In a New York Times article, Senator Patty Murray, D-Washington, said, "The FCC rules could have a bad effect by reducing the diversity of viewpoints."
The reduction of viewpoints has already occurred. What is the literal difference between companies being allowed to control 45 percent of the audience or currently 35 percent? What difference does that 10 percent make? We already see little diversity on news programming and entertainment. The summer of sequels, anyone?
This happened the same week that we found out that NBC (owned by General Electric) was going to buy Vivendi, who owns Universal movies and music. Now the only network TV station that doesn't already have a movie studio or music label, will have both.
Media regulations are an issue that probably isn't on the top of a college student's list. But, every day you flip on the boob tube, relax, maybe settle down to watch some quality programming.
Wait ... quality programming, what is that?
My point, oddly enough, is best summed up in a song by Bright Eyes, an artist dubbed as the latest incarnation of Bob Dylan.
For all you emo-haters, chill out this has a point.
In the last song on Bright Eye's album, Lifted or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground, he sings, "Honesty, accuracy are really just popular opinion./And the approval rating is high, so someone is going to die./ ABC, NBC, CBS: Bullshit./ They give us fact or fiction? I guess an even split. And each new act of war is tonight's entertainment./We are still the pawns in their game./ As they take an eye for an eye until no one can see/we must stumble blindly forward, repeating history/ Well, I guess that we all fit into your slogan, on the fast food marquee."
