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BILL OF MEDIA RIGHTS
PREAMBLE
A free and vibrant media, full of diverse and competing
voices, is the lifeblood
of America’s democracy and culture, as well as an engine
of growth for its
economy.
Yet, in recent years, massive and unprecedented corporate
consolidation has dangerously contracted the number of
voices in our nation’s media. While
some argue we live in an age of unprecedented diversity in
media, the reality
is that the vast majority of America’s news and
entertainment is now
commercially-produced, delivered, and controlled by a
handful of giant
media conglomerates seeking to minimize competition and
maximize corporate
profits rather than maximize competition and promote the
public interest.
According to the Supreme Court, the First Amendment
protects the American
public’s right to “an uninhibited marketplace of ideas in
which truth will prevail”
and “suitable access to social, political, esthetic, moral
and other ideas and experiences.” Moreover, it is “the
right of the viewers and listeners, not the
right of the broadcasters, which is paramount.”
But too often, our nation’s policymakers favor media
conglomerates’
commercial interests over the public’s Constitutional
rights, placing
America’s democracy, culture, and economy at risk.
Instead, guided by the
principles that follow, policymakers must ensure that the
Constitutional
rights of present and future generations to freely express
themselves in the
media, and to access the free expression of others, using
the technologies of
today and tomorrow, are always “paramount.”
We ask you to join the broad coalition of consumer, public
interest, media
reform, organized labor and other groups representing
millions of
Americans in proposing the following Bill of Media Rights.
Media That Provide “An Uninhibited Marketplace of
Ideas”
The American public has a right to:
Journalism that fully informs the public, is independent
of the government
and acts as its watchdog, and protects journalists who
dissent from
their employers.
Newspapers, television and radio stations, cable and
satellite systems,
and broadcast and cable networks operated by multiple,
diverse, and independent owners that compete vigorously
and employ a diverse
workforce.
Radio and television programming produced by independent
creators that
is original, challenging, controversial, and diverse.
Programming, stories, and speech produced by communities
and citizens.
Internet service provided by multiple, independent
providers who
compete vigorously and offer access to the entire
Internet over a
broadband connection, with freedom to attach within the
home any
legal device to the net connection and run any legal
application.
Public broadcasting insulated from political and
commercial interests that
is well-funded and especially serves communities
underserved by
privately-owned broadcasters.
Regulatory policies emphasizing media education and
citizen empowerment, not government censorship, as the
best ways to avoid unwanted content.
Media That Use The Public’s Airwaves To Serve The
Public Interest
The American public has a right to:
Electoral and civic, children’s, educational,
independently produced, local
and community programming, as well as programming that
serves
Americans with disabilities and underserved communities.
Media that reflect the presence and voices of people of
color, women,
labor, immigrants, Americans with disabilities, and
other communities often underrepresented.
Maximum access and opportunity to use the public
airwaves and spectrum.
Meaningful participation in government media policy,
including disclosure
of the ways broadcasters comply with their public
interest obligations, ascertain their community’s needs,
and create programming to serve
those needs.
Media That Reflect And Respond To Their Local
Communities
The American public has a right to:
Television and radio stations that are locally owned and
operated,
reflective of and responsible to the diverse communities
they serve,
and able to respond quickly to local emergencies.
Well-funded local public access channels and community
radio, including
low-power FM radio stations.
Universal, affordable Internet access for news,
education, and
government information, so that all citizens can better
participate in our democracy and culture.
Frequent, rigorous license and franchise renewal
processes for local broadcasters and cable operators
that meaningfully include the public.
CONCLUSION
These principles are not meant to be all-inclusive.
Rather, they illustrate an
American media structure that is the American public’s
present and future right
under the Constitution of the United States.
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BILL OF MEDIA RIGHTS Unveiling 
