Commission's vote limits opportunity for minority media ownership and
                                  localism

    WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Association
of Black Journalists (NABJ) calls on the U.S. Congress to reverse this
week's decision by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in allowing
corporate ownership of both print and broadcast media in the same city.

    Despite a loud public outcry, on Tuesday the FCC voted 3-2 to relax a
30-year-old rule that prevented this kind of media monopoly. Dedicated to
promoting fairness in media coverage and expanding entrepreneurship
opportunities for journalists of color, NABJ strongly believes that media
ownership should reflect the racial and ethnic make up of society and such
a decision prohibits such diversity.

    "Is the fourth estate to be sold to the highest bidder?" asked NABJ
President Barbara Ciara. "Congress cannot allow the FCC to limit diverse
voices and further prevent ownership opportunities to minorities."

    In a letter this fall to FCC Commissioner Kevin Martin, NABJ took issue
with his desire to lift the ban on these types of media takeovers, citing
their impact on minority owners and journalists.

    "With increasing media consolidation the number of minority owners will
steadily decrease," wrote Ciara. "The Commission has a responsibility to
maintain its public interest obligations and in order to do so, there must
be safeguards to ensure station leadership and programming is as diverse as
the communities they represent."

    Following the decision, Democratic and Republican members of the House
of Representatives and Senate proposed legislation reversing the FCC's
actions.

    "It becomes a major problem when you see that in a nation where 34% of
the population are people of color, minorities own less than 10 percent of
media outlets," said Ernie Suggs, NABJ Vice President of Print. "NABJ will
reach beyond the press gallery to congressional members and ensure this
vote is reversed and our freedom of speech is not sacrificed by higher
profits."

    "The American people deserve to get their news from a variety of
sources," said Kathy Times, NABJ Vice President of Broadcast.

    The nation's largest minority journalism organization is committed to
increasing the number of black journalists in management positions and
encouraging black journalists to become entrepreneurs. Since 1975, NABJ
fights for balanced coverage of the black community and society at large.

    An advocacy group established in 1975 in Washington, D.C., NABJ is the
largest organization of journalists of color in the nation, with nearly
4,000 members, and provides educational, career development and support to
black journalists worldwide.

Link to this page: