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April 14, 2004

Panel looks at media monopolies in America

California State University, Sacramento will host a group of media experts discussing “Who Controls What You Think?”—on whether bigger is better when it comes to what most Americans see and hear in the media. The free event and workshop is 7 to 9 p.m., Thursday, April 22, in the CSUS University Union Redwood Room.

“It’s vital to look at how adequately corporate-owned media is serving—or not serving—the public interest,” said panelist and organizer Barbara O’Connor, executive director of the CSUS Institute for the Study of Politics and the Media. She said media deregulation in 1996 transformed control of the media and allows a handful of corporations to dominate local airwaves and news publications.

Joining O’Connor on the podium will be Jeff Perlstein, executive director of Media Alliance, a nonprofit resource that advocates for media democracy, and Andy Draheim of Common Cause, an organization that pushes for government accountability and openness in decision-making. Their talk will be followed by informal workshops where people can learn about the public’s role in media regulation and how to influence the decisions that determine what thy see when they turn on TV.

The forum is sponsored by the CSUS Institute for the Study of Politics and the Media and California Common Cause working with graduate students in the CSUS communication studies department.

Signs will direct attendees to free parking for this event.

For more information, call (916) 278-6415. Media assistance is available from CSUS public affairs at (916) 278-6156.

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