Amazing. In a gift to media reform groups, the AP reports this week that former FCC Chairman Michael Powell ordered a study on how media ownership affects local news coverage to be destroyed, in an attempt to further loosen rules on media consolidation.
AP reported in a separate article yesterday that Powell denies these accusations:
“The draft report, which surfaced earlier this week, was at odds with agency policy under Powell regarding media ownership issues. A former FCC lawyer told the AP that senior managers at the agency ordered the report be destroyed.” – Associated Press, “Powell denies seeing media ownership study”
Read the article here.
Free Press and other media reform groups are calling on current FCC Chairmain Martin to conduct an investigation into the alleged “cover-up”. Read the press release from Free Press here.
