Can Cross-Ownership Help Preserve Local, Independent Journalism in the Digital Age?

[Commentary] Several organizations have suggested that certain changes to the Federal Communications Commission’s structural ownership rules could help preserve local, independent journalism. Specifically, some organizations have held that relaxation of the newspaper-broadcast station cross-ownership rule could create synergies that would allow broadcast stations and newspapers to share resources and news coverage.

In its comments in the recent media ownership proceeding, the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) supported the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council’s study on the impact of cross-ownership rules on broadcast stations that are owned by women and minorities, which found that “cross-media interests’ impact on minority and women broadcast ownership is not sufficiently material to be a material justification for tightening or retaining the [FCC’s cross-ownership] rules.” Although MMTC has long championed the cross-ownership rules as a means of ensuring that the diversity of viewpoints and ideas are available to the public, it has had to step back and realize that as time passes and technology changes, so, too, must be our willingness to reevaluate long-held beliefs. As a technology-driven society, we must be open to exploring the possibility that changes in circumstances can make almost any position on an issue less absolute. As the FCC looks to implement rules that reflect the realities of our new communications industry, it should consider all viable solutions to assist newspapers and ensure that newspaper journalism continues to serve democracy by providing diverse and locally tailored content and information to all communities.