Inclusion or illusion? An analysis of the FCC's public hearings on media ownership 2006-2007

Jonathan A. Obar, Amit M. Schejter

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

An assessment of the extent of public involvement in the FCC's media ownership hearings in 2006-07 was conducted through an analysis of the hearings' structure, the 732 public comments made in them, and the FCC's ensuing Report & Order (R&O). In light of the rising call for pluralism, direct democracy and public involvement in policy deliberations, the results reveal that the FCC consistently hindered public participation in the hearing process it initiated and managed through limited advance notice, inconvenient timing, a hearing structure that subordinated the public to experts and stakeholders, and scarce mention of public comment in the final report.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)212-227
Number of pages16
JournalJournal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media
Volume54
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2010

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Communication

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