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Concentration of Media Ownership, and
Our Response
The trend in media is consolidation and
cross-marketing – resulting
not in more voices, but in more of the same voices. Today, less
than ten major corporations control the information in most media
outlets. Under those pressures, most journalists are now overworked,
underpaid, and often driven toward increasingly sensationalized
content.
From our perspective, the ability of mainstream media to support
a vibrant democracy is trending downward. Alternative media is
quietly on the rise, but most people still get their news from
mainstream sources. Since 1996, our stories have been the railroad
ties connecting these two tracks, bringing information from often
marginalized voices to the wider public, and providing more journalistic
breadth to mainstream media.
In 2002, we managed eight independent
services (in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota,
South Dakota, Iowa, and
Minnesota) that produced more than 1,600 stories which aired
over 51,000 times on 910 stations. (In comparison, there are
620 NPR stations across the country.) Idaho’s Television
service delivered nearly 100 stories which consistently played
to most of the state’s population, and early usage is promising
for Washington’s new print pilot.
We cover a broad range of issues, including Campaign Finance
Reform, Domestic Violence, Education, the Environment, Human
Rights and Diversity, Livable Wages, Smoking Prevention, Rural
Issues, Welfare Reform, and many more. This coverage is made
possible by funding from grants and by more than 200 non-profit
supporting members. |
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