Pen-Elayne on the Web

When Diversity Is Outlawed...

Via Neil Gaiman and Jim Hudnall and Avedon Carol and Lis Riba (links at sidebar), I think everyone should be reminded by this kind of nonsense how important it is not to let a few rich people run our media to enrich themselves even further, rather than to serve the public good. As has been extensively covered in blogs like TalkLeft and Ruminate This, tomorrow the Senate Commerce Committee will vote on legislation to rescind the June 2 FCC vote to expand cross-ownership (i.e., further monopolization by a few rich corporations) of media sources, despite 98% of the comments they received being in opposition. (For those wondering, according to Lisa English, "A typographical error in an e-mail generated by Free Media indicated [the vote] was the 18th. That is incorrect. The vote takes place on the 19th.) Quotes one of the media giants, owned by our city's mayor, "The legislation has a good chance of passing the Senate, though it's unlikely to pass the House of Representatives because of opposition from House Commerce Committee Chairman Billy Tauzin, Republican of Louisiana, said former Commerce Committee Chairman Thomas Bliley." If you want to know how you can help our elected representatives do the right thing, go here.