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Bill McKibben, Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College and author of a dozen books about the environment, beginning with "The End of Nature" in 1989, which is regarded as the first book for a general audience on climate change. The group he founded, 350.org, has coordinated 15,000 rallies in 189 countries since 2009. The Boston Globe said in 2010 that he was "probably the country’s most important environmentalist."
Alexis Tsipras, a member of the Hellenic parliament, president of the Synaspismos political party since 2008, head of the SYRIZA parliamentary group since 2009, and leader of the Opposition since June 2012. SYRIZA currently leads in Greek opinion polls. Listen to the audio here.
Between The Lines' Executive Producer Scott Harris hosts a live,
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"Rand Paul: Making a Point," by Reginald Johnson, March 8, 2013
"The Bipartisan Gift: Budget Cuts," by Reginald Johnson, March 2, 2013
"Fighting for Gun Control," by Reginald Johnson, Feb. 18, 2013
"Tyranny of the Minority," by Reginald Johnson, Jan. 28, 2013
"Is President Obama About to Betray Those Who Re-elected Him Less than 2 Months Ago?" by Scott Harris, Dec. 21, 2012
"Will the Slaughter of the Innocents in Newtown Lead to Gun Law Reform in U.S.?" by Scott Harris and Anna Manzo, Dec. 16, 2012
"My Friend in Sandy Hook," by Doug Moss, posted by Scott Harris, Dec. 16, 2012
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Posted Jan. 2, 2013
Interview with Josh Stearns, journalism and public media campaign director with Free Press, conducted by Scott Harris
In an echo of a failed 2007 effort by the Bush administration, the Federal Communications Commission, under current Chairman Julius Genachowski, an Obama appointee, will soon propose a change to the nation’s media ownership rules that will permit the cross-ownership of television stations and newspapers in the 20 largest U.S. media markets. Media consolidation over recent decades has led to only five major companies owning the majority of the nation’s television and radio stations, newspapers, publishing houses and movie studios. Fewer media companies means less diversity of opinion on the airwaves and in print.
While the Bush administration’s ownership rules change, under then FCC chair Kevin Martin, was later repealed by the U.S. Senate and blocked by a federal court, the current effort may be approved unless the public is made aware of the consequences and mobilized to oppose it. Among the media giants that will directly benefit from the proposed rules change is Rupert Murdoch and his scandal-plagued NewsCorp. Murdoch is eager for new FCC rules that will allow him to purchase both the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune, both based in cities where he already owns TV stations.
Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Josh Stearns, journalism and public media campaign director with the group Free Press. Here, he explains why Free Press and other media democracy advocates oppose the proposed FCC rules change, believing that relaxed ownership rules will be to the detriment of locally originated programming and reduce the diversity of views, seen, heard and read in a democracy reliant on the free flow of opinion and robust debate.
Learn more about the campaign opposing the FCC's relaxed media ownership rules by visiting FreePress.net.
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