Contact:
Rahesha White
Communications Director
UNITY
(703) 854-3585
e-mail »

McLean, VA - The Federal Communications Commission’s December 18th vote to relax its newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership rule is a huge disappointment to all minority owned media, according to UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc.

In a recent study released by Free Press, a national media policy organization, found that even though people of color comprise 33 percent of the U.S. population, they only account for 3.15 percent of commercial broadcast television station owners.

UNITY, representing more than 10,000 journalists from the Asian American Journalists Association, the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the Native American Journalists Association, responded to the study by supporting FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein’s call for an independent task force that would examine the effects of media consolidation and oppose the FCC ruling until it addresses how to increase minority broadcast ownership. The vote went forward without the creation of the task force to address these crucial issues.

“Our message is urgent. Achieving diversity of ownership must be a primary goal,” says UNITY President Karen Lincoln Michel. “As the news industry continues to face dramatic change, protecting and advancing diversity should be a key consideration in executive decisions to reshape the future of American media.”

Despite the recent ruling, UNITY is continuing to take action to advocate for minority ownership. Participants can get involved in several ways:

• Go to www.stopbigmedia.com and sign the open letter urging Congress to stop the FCC and stand with the public interest.
• Write your member of Congress by visiting http://www.house.gov/writerep/.
• Send a letter to the editor of your local paper.
• Upload your photo on www.stopbigmedia.com to show the world you stand with other Americans on why consolidation is bad for America.
• Spread the word through local papers, television stations and radio to stop big media.

“As the nation’s demographics shift towards more people of color, we have a responsibility to the future generations to fight back and demand media ownership that reflects our nation’s diversity,” said UNITY Executive Director Onica N. Makwakwa.

# # #

Comment on this topic in the new UNITY Discussion Forums!

About UNITY: Journalists of Color
UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc. is a strategic alliance advocating news coverage about people of color, and aggressively challenging its organizations at all levels to reflect the nation’s diversity. UNITY, representing more than 10,000 journalists of color, is comprised of four national associations: Asian American Journalists Association, National Association of Black Journalists, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and the Native American Journalists Association.

In addition to planning the largest regular gathering of journalists in the nation, UNITY develops programs and institutional relationships that promote its mission. For more information on UNITY, visit www.unityjournalists.org, email info@unityjournalists.org or call (703) 854-3585.