The People Have Spoken

[Commentary] “Our nation’s media market must reflect the diverse voices of our population, and it is essential that the FCC promotes the public interest and diversity in ownership.” That’s not some crazy media activist talking. It’s Barack Obama, back in 2008. So it’s almost unfathomable that Obama’s appointed FCC chairman is now rushing to gut the longstanding rules that limit how much one company can own in a single market.

These are the rules keeping Rupert Murdoch, the Fox News kingpin and phone hacker, from buying the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune ¬– which he covets. Apparently, the FCC was hoping no one would notice the change. Well, they’ve noticed. And the chorus of opposition against the FCC’s plans to gut longstanding media ownership rules is growing louder and louder. In just the past two weeks, some 200,000 people have taken action against the FCC’s move. Thousands more have called Congress. It’s making a difference: A dozen members of Congress have weighed in with letters to the FCC urging them to stop the rush for more media consolidation. So have the nation’s leading civil rights organizations. But why an Obama appointee is suddenly in such a hurry to do Rupert Murdoch’s bidding remains a mystery.