Â鶹ÒùÔº at the University of Colorado at Boulder School of Journalism and Mass Communication are making their views on proposed media deregulation known to the Federal Communications Commission.
Through a letter-writing campaign they chose as an option for the completion of a final exam, undergraduates in Assistant Professor Lynn Schofield Clark's "Media and Public Culture" class sent letters to FCC Chairman Michael Powell asking the commission to reconsider proposed changes to relax policies governing media ownership. The FCC is currently considering changes that experts argue will result in further consolidation of ownership among a few media companies.
Currently, no single company is allowed to own more than one television network, nor are single entities allowed to own a television station and daily newspaper in the same market. Additionally, media companies are also limited to owning no more than one of the top four television stations in any particular market and can only own a certain number of television and radio stations in a given market.
"These rules were put in place to protect the public's right to have a diverse array of sources for their news and entertainment options," Clark said. "Â鶹ÒùÔº are right to be concerned about the implications these changes hold for their future careers, as well as for the potentially restricted role of the media in a democratic society," she said.
The goal of the class, a required course at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, is to educate future media professionals both on how the media industry is organized and about the ways in which young people have made a positive difference in society through their innovative uses of media in the past.
Thirty-one of the students opted to write letters expressing their views. The majority of students, like Peter Booth, were against further deregulation of the media industry. He wrote: "Our media - both news and entertainment - have been built upon the shoulders of our First Amendment. News media regulation based on integrity and media in general committed to progressive and substantive civic involvement are essential to a healthy democracy. Any further corporate-friendly deregulation of FCC ownership policy would be anathema to a free society."
Several students offered support for the market-friendly environment of deregulation. But even the most ardent pro-market students believed that the FCC plays a key role in holding media companies responsible for their historic position in the preservation of democracy.
Brian Riedel, a junior, wrote: "By operating in the public interest, the media corporations can maximize profits and serve the public. But corporations need to be held accountable for how they serve the public no matter how much market share they have."
Groups on both sides of the deregulation issue testified recently at a Senate committee hearing. The commission will not officially comment until it votes on media ownership rules in June.
"Young people want to participate in positive changes in our society. They want to believe that they are being heard by politicians and policymakers who often complain about the alienation and disaffection of our youth," said Clark, who studies youth culture and is author of "From Angels to Aliens," a book about the media's role in teen beliefs. "Let's hope that the FCC will listen to them."
The CU-Boulder School of Journalism and Mass Communication is one of only two accredited programs in the field in Colorado and is the only one in the state to offer a full, integrated range of undergraduate, graduate and professional studies.
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