Beck: Don’t Stifle Brea’s Voice
Posted September 29th, 2009 by Jordan Berg
When I see Glenn Beck’s face turn red, his fist hitting the desk in rage as he says the words “localism” and “diversity,” I can only think one thing: Why doesn’t Beck want my younger cousin to own a radio or television station someday or to have a voice in our media system?
That is the message that Beck and fellow talk show hosts deliver when they denounce localism and diversity. What they are saying is that they don’t want young Black women like my 11-year-old cousin to dream of owning their own media or of having a say over who speaks to and for our communities.
My cousin Brea Childs has had a future in media since she could first start moving around and making sounds. My grandfather used to call her the “walking ham.” She would bug the entire family to be her audience for a few minutes. Even when no one was watching, she would just sing out loud to the world.
But Brea doesn’t just perform; she has helped promote the arts in her community. Already, Brea has worked to put on theater productions, volunteered to set up events, and sought out opportunities to learn different aspects of performance art.
She has a knack for creating opportunities to showcase her talent where none already exist.
If Brea doesn’t succeed in becoming the next Oprah (or the first Brea!), she should be able to fall back on her natural management abilities. She should be able to own broadcast stations or the Internet broadcast stations of the future.
Under the current system, our airwaves are gifted to an elite few who get them for free. In return, broadcasters are required to provide news and programs that are both local and diverse. But broadcasters routinely skirt these rules, and the Federal Communications Commission has historically been lax on enforcement.
Recently, the FCC has expressed its intention to better enforce the broadcast rules. The agency appointed Mark Lloyd, a distinguished civil rights leader, acclaimed historian and successful attorney, as the FCC’s first Diversity and Localism Chair. Lloyd co-wrote a report outlining ways to make localism and diversity in the media a reality for all Americans.
This move was a red flag for media extremists who see the call for localism and diversity as encroaching on their media empires. Talk show hosts Beck, Rush Limbaugh and others have begun attacking Lloyd in an effort to discredit him, and have been misrepresenting localism and diversity as a way to get conservatives off the air.
But these broadcast principles are simply about injecting new voices into the media. Because when you ask Americans: Do the media reflect your community? Are they relevant to you? Are they as creative, funny, engaging and informative as they should be? The answer is always no.
The public deserves a vibrant, diverse, skeptical, adversarial media so we can have an informed and engaged democracy.
And my cousin deserves a chance to create and own media. As she continues to develop her passion and skills, no one should stifle her.
So when Glenn Beck attacks localism and diversity, think of your baby sister, cousin, son or daughter, the gifted child up the street, and ask,” Shouldn’t they have a means to own or be part of the media someday?”
