Those concerned about indecency should also be concerned about one of its root causes: media consolidation. Jim Steyer of Common Sense Media says, "If we focus on this narrow definition of indecency, nothing will be gained. We'll have witch hunts for a few foul mouthed folks while the real culprits continue to exercise free reign and dump age–inappropriate content into our homes because they are so big and so powerful that no one is willing to challenge and stop them. The ultimate source of indecency here is rampant media consolidation."
Rich Hanley, director of the Graduate School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, says "This trend (toward increasingly indecent programming) is going to do nothing but accelerate," in large part due to existing FCC policies. "The interesting point with Michael Powell protesting is that this is the spawn of his doing."
Professor Hanley says that FCC policies have encouraged the consolidation of a handful of huge media companies all struggling to survive in an increasingly cutthroat business environment, according to the February 5, 2004 edition of the Christian Science Monitor.
The notion that the networks should operate in the public interest is a quaint relic of another time, he says. When the corporate structure is focused on ratings and profits, stunts like the one during the Super Bowl half-time show will become the norm.
Does Media Concentration Cause Indecency?
