Kerry and Obama: Minority Media Ownership Matters
Posted October 29th, 2007 by Craig Aaron
Two notable senators are teaming up on the crucial issue of minority media ownership. In a joint op-ed in the Boston-Bay State Banner this week, Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) write that “providing opportunities for minority-owned businesses to own media outlets is fundamental to creating the diverse media environment that federal law requires and the country deserves and demands.”
They call out the Federal Communications Commission for considering “changes in the media ownership rules that only help big media get bigger, but do nothing to make media more responsive to minority viewpoints and local communities.” And they send another strong message to Chairman Kevin Martin that minority ownership issues shouldn’t take a backseat while consolidation advances unchecked.
Kerry and Obama conclude:
For too long now, the FCC has been putting corporate interests ahead of the people’s interests. It’s time for that to change. We need to not only create the opportunity for minority-owned businesses to participate in the market, but we also need to help the minority entrepreneur who wants to enter this business succeed. We will keep fighting until we have a free and open media that represents every American in our diverse nation.
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