Big media vs. the grassroots: A status report

BIG MEDIA VS THE GRASSROOTS: A STATUS REPORT
[SOURCE: Online Journalism Review, AUTHOR: Kim Pearson]
The extended drama surrounding Rupert Murdoch's unsolicited $5 billion bid to take over family-owned Dow Jones media empire, along with the pending $8.2 billion sale of the Tribune Co. has brought renewed attention to the longstanding debate over media consolidation. While these two high-profile transactions have grabbed the spotlight, they are mere flashpoints in a much larger battle between free-market advocates and grass-roots media advocates over the role of government in ensuring equal access to the marketplace of ideas. OJR spoke with two experts on media policy who differ strongly on consolidation and a host of other issues. 1) Mark Fratrick, an economist who has worked on broadcast regulation issues at the Federal Trade Commission and the National Association of Broadcasters. 2) Craig Aaron, the press liaison for Freepress.net, a non-partisan think tank on media issues.
http://www.ojr.org/ojr/stories/070618pearson/