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Hi there, This week’s viral video of news anchors across the nation reading from the same exact propaganda script was pretty jarring. It scared us because we like to think of U.S. news outlets as independent and trustworthy. But thanks to the FCC’s role in creating media giants like Sinclair, that’s increasingly not the case. We deserve better: Tell the FCC to #StopSinclair and end the monopolization of local media. The Trump administration is paving the way for its friends at Sinclair to take over Tribune Media. As despicable as that is, this issue is bigger than #TrumpTV.1 Because the FCC slashed its longstanding media-ownership limits in 2017, corporations are now allowed to swallow up more daily newspapers, TV outlets and radio stations in a single market. Also last year, the FCC voted to repeal Net Neutrality — the rules that barred companies like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon from interfering with our ability to share and access information of our choosing. The bottom line: Trump’s FCC is moving swiftly to silence voices that are independent, diverse and actually serve and care for local communities. Companies like Sinclair are using trusted local news anchors to force hateful stories into our communities.2 They swallow up large swaths of local media, making it nearly impossible for local voices to be heard. Voices like yours. We envision a media system that is owned by many, telling the stories of all. That means diverse ownership of platforms, both digital and traditional. It means media owners, newsrooms, media makers and communities that reject White supremacy. And it means ensuring that people of color can show up as their full selves within media organizations, and enjoy equal access to content that reflects their lives. The first step to building the media we deserve? Stopping Sinclair's consolidation rampage. Urge the FCC to reject the Sinclair-Tribune merger and get back to the business of serving people. Thanks for all that you do— Collette, Dana, Candace and the rest of the Free Press team P.S. Sinclair is too big and too dangerous as it is. Tell the FCC to stop this hateful company from taking over the local airwaves. P.P.S. You may have noticed we've got a brand-new logo and colors. We also have a brand-new website and action pages. We're also changing the way we talk about our work. That means more useful content, more voices and perspectives, and storytelling that reflects our organizational commitment to racial equity. 1. “Kushner: We Struck Deal with Sinclair for Straighter Coverage,” Politico, 12/16/2016: https://act.freepress.net/go/18945?t=9&akid=8889%2E10296224%2EpQtNdE 2. “Sinclair’s Terrorism Alert Desk Segments Are Designed to Gin Up Xenophobia Via Local News,” Media Matters, March 1, 2018: https://act.freepress.net/go/19804?t=11&akid=8889%2E10296224%2EpQtNdE  | |
Free Press and the Free Press Action Fund are nonpartisan organizations fighting for your rights to connect and communicate. Learn more at www.freepress.net. | |
