DISGRACEFUL U.S. MEDIA COLLUSION

The role that the media industry plays in Washington poses a threat to democracy. Twenty years ago, President Bill Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The act, signed into law on February 8, 1996, was essentially bought and paid for by corporate media lobbies, and radically opened the floodgates on mergers.

The negative impact of the law cannot be overstated. The law, which was the first major reform of telecommunications policy since 1934, is widely considered to be one of the three or four most important federal laws of this generation. The act dramatically reduced important Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations on cross ownership, and allowed giant corporations to buy up thousands of media outlets across the country, increasing their monopoly on the flow of information in the United States and around the world. Twenty years later the devastating impact of the legislation is undeniable: About 90 percent of the country’s major media companies are owned by six corporations: Viacom, News Corporation, Comcast, CBS, Time Warner and Disney.

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 is not merely a regrettable part of history. It serves as a stern warning about what is at stake in the future. In a media world that is going through a massive transformation, media companies have dramatically increased their efforts to wield influence in Washington, with a massive lobbying presence and steady dose of campaign donations to politicians in both parties, with the goal allowing more consolidation, and privatizing and commodifying  the Internet. This has become a major concern for advocates of “net neutrality” who want to “save the internet,” and ensure it is protected as a public utility with equal access for everybody. An FCC ruling in February 2015 has protected the internet for now, but the internet is still in danger. Net neutrality has made the internet an unrivaled space for free speech, civic participation, innovation and opportunity. Net neutrality prohibits online discrimination and gives any individual, organization or company the same chance to share their ideas and find an audience.

Big Media’s Relationship With Hillary Clinton

The entire mainstream media is controlled and scripted by the Clintons and democrats. Democrats, the Clintons, the federal government and the mainstream media have all merged into one grand orgy of collusion, spewing disinformation and lies to keep the Clintons in power while destroying anyone who challenges the status quo. The Clinton campaign tells the media what to print, what questions to ask, what to censor and what to conclude. Journalists working for CNBC, CNN, NYT, etc., are not allowed to engage in anything resembling real journalism. Their stories are scripted in advance. Everything is orchestrated and engineered. The game is rigged at every level.

When analyzing the donations be it by cable television, print, and periodicals, radio, or telecom services,Hillary Clinton is, by far, the largest recipient of donations of any candidate in the 2016 election in either party. In fact, of all the top industries that have donated to Clinton, the TV/movies/music category ranks behind only the securities and investment category.

More troubling  the Clinton Foundation has received donations, some of them very large, from most of all the major media companies directly. The following list includes news media organizations that have donated to the foundation, as well as other media networks, companies, foundations or individuals that have donated. It is organized by the size of the contribution:

$1,000,000-$5,000,000

• Carlos Slim, Chairman & CEO of Telmex, largest New York Times shareholder
• James Murdoch, Chief Operating Officer of 21st Century Fox
• Newsmax Media, Florida-based conservative media network
• Thomson Reuters, Owner of the Reuters news service

$500,000-$1,000,000

• Google
• News Corporation Foundation, Philanthropic arm of former Fox News parent company

$250,000-$500,000

• Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publisher
• Richard Mellon Scaife Owner of Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

$100,000-$250,000

• Abigail Disney, Documentary filmmaker
• Bloomberg Philanthropies
• Howard Stringer, Former CBS, CBS News and Sony executive 
• Intermountain West Communications Company, Local television affiliate owner (formerly Sunbelt Communications)

$50,000-$100,000

• Bloomberg L.P.
• Discovery Communications Inc.
• George Stephanopoulos; ABC News chief anchor and chief political correspondent
• Mort Zuckerman, Owner of New York Daily News and U.S. News & World Report
• Time Warner Inc. Owner of CNN parent company Turner Broadcasting

$25,000-$50,000

• AOL
• HBO
• Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Presenters of the Golden Globe Awards
• Viacom

$10,000-$25,000

• Knight Foundation, Non-profit foundation dedicated to supporting journalism
• Public Radio International
• Turner Broadcasting, Parent company of CNN
• Twitter

$5,000-$10,000

• Comcast, Parent company of NBCUniversal
• NBC Universal, Parent company of NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC
• Public Broadcasting Service

$1,000-$5,000

• Robert Allbritton, Owner of POLITICO

$250-$1,000

• AOL Huffington Post Media Group
• Hearst Corporation
• Judy Woodruff, PBS Newshour co-anchor and managing editor
• The Washington Post Company

Of course, the Clinton Foundation is not a political campaign and does some philanthropic work. So while this all might be legal, it is extremely unsettling, especially in tandem with all the campaign donations Hillary Clinton has received from the major players in this industry. While Clinton has come out in favor of net neutrality, it is a reasonable fear that she could change her views once elected, especially given her relationship with Big Media. It would not be the first time a president has changed a view after being elected.

The current Chairman of the FCC (Thomas Edgar "Tom" Wheeler) is a member of the Democratic Party. He was appointed by President Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in November 2013. Prior to working at the FCC, Wheeler worked as a venture capitalist and lobbyist for the cable and wireless industry, whom the FCC is now responsible for regulating. Holding positions including President of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) and CEO of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA). There are 5 Commissioners on the FCC appointed for 5 years. 2 will have their term expire on 30 June 2017, 2 on 30 June 2018 and 1 on 30 June 2020. The current Chair’s term will expire on 30 June 2018.