Media and PoliticsAsma Nemati

A few months back as I was driving back home from work, I clicked my radio on KPFA. I was lucky to listen to a live session of hearings in Seattle regarding the FCC's decision to review (and potentially implement, if passed) rules that restrict the amount of local media outlets a single company can own. I first listened in because some of the amusing remarks, but then they grew a little more intense. Many people vehemently spoke against the program, citing that it'd be a hands down death to media diversity. Others, though small in number, said the outdated restrictions don't apply no more, pointing out that new technology--Internet, satellite radio, Cable, etc--has enabled other, more diverse, media voices.

But this, at least some parts of it, rests on a major assumption: that people have unlimited access to the Internet. Keeping this in mind, it's not surprising why it was ignored in the first place when you realize that the FCC is turning a blind eye to big companies such as ATT, Comcast , Verizon and Time Warner from censoring information they don't agree with to their users. If nothing at all, this is a blatant infringement on net neutrality. It seems like both the cross-media ownership and the limitation on net-neutrality go hand in hand.

For some reason, however, this controversial work in progress has been kept out of the public eye, as is obvious by the lack of attention it is getting. If they both pass, they're not only going to change what we access on theInternet, but also the diversity of what we'll access. All of this reminds me of the Chinese government's crackdown on the Internet , notoriously brought to the fore by the media after Yahoo admitted that it gave email information of a journalist that later was used by the government to convict him for leaking state secrets.

Some might say, so what? Why does the media matter? First of all, it is our most basic source of communication; this tool allows us to transcend language, geographic, and cultural barriers that might otherwise obstruct our path in pursuit of knowledge and understanding.

Especially now, media matters more than ever. Mass media can make or break news. Take a look at the Iraq war. The destructive nature of the war is completely downplayed by major news sources. Over one million people have died since March 2003. One million. It's easier to read than imagine. Of course, there are more conservative numbers, but this finding is probably more accurate since it was based on samples representative of most Iraqis.

Or, take a look at the American casualties suffered throughout the war. Over 4000 lives have been lost. But what about those soldiers no longer in combat, off duty and back in the states? Recently, the Veterans Health Association confirmed that 18 veterans commit suicide a day. When these statistics are not related, we are prevented from attaining information that could be severely helpful in our future decisions. This breeds ignorance of information besides what the government wants us to hear, and that in turn breeds tolerance of imperial expansion at the expense of millions of lives, destitute lands and natural resources, and an absolute destruction of a culture and people. Of course, the Iraq war has not done all of that, but mass media's coverage attitude may potentially allow that to happen.

And that's what's scary--the media's destructive power. In light of all this, the FCC's attempt to limit mass media has yet to be decided. Until then, I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that democracy and people's freedom of information will prevail.