TNG-CWA: Decision Not to Appeal Media Ownership Rules is a Victory for Democracy, Diversity of Opini

Following is a statement by Linda Foley, President of The Newspaper Guild-CWA, on the Bush administration's decision not to pursue an appeals court ruling on media concentration:

We're pleased that the Bush administration has decided not to pursue an appeal of a federal court decision that blocked the Federal Communications Commission from further easing media ownership restrictions.

The court's decision last year reinforced our long held position that the FCC's changes were a rush to judgment driven by ideology and the industry's agenda, with scant discussion about protecting the public interest and maintaining diversity of opinion. While media companies will likely pursue an appeal, we believe today's decision is the proper one.

The FCC had sought to radically weaken the federal rules governing media concentration by permitting media companies to further consolidate their holdings.

We will continue to work with members of Congress who are determined to preserve the availability and diversity of news and information, and to fight against an industry plan for media ownership that would permit the majority of the nation's news resources to be controlled by just a few corporations.

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