MEMPHIS, Tenn., Jan. 12 - The Reverend Jesse Jackson joined an alliance of civil rights and consumer groups today in Memphis to call on the FCC to halt media concentration and promote minority media ownership.

During an event at the National Conference for Media Reform, the alliance released a slate of new studies that pointedly refute Big Media’s arguments for further consolidation. The studies were delivered to the FCC with a letter signed by more than a dozen civil rights, consumer and media groups. The groundbreaking research was also made available to the public on the StopBigMedia.Com Coalition Web site.

The six new studies on dismantle Big Media’s case for abandoning the ownership protections that currently prevent media conglomerates from swallowing up even more local outlets, according to FreePress.Net.

They include an exposé of the National Association of Broadcasters’ fraudulent financial reporting on commercial broadcasters, and an analysis of news consumption online - where the top Internet news sites are owned by the same giants that control the rest of the media. Among other demands, the coalition letter urges the FCC to stop further concentration of media ownership until it has taken the necessary steps to promote minority and female ownership of broadcast stations.

Keep up with all the action from Memphis at the FreePress.Net blog.

Tags: Net Freedom

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