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教育專題 ◎ 國際時勢：美國媒體民主運動

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教育專題深入報導

═══════════════════════《2003/05/09》═════

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教育專題 ◎ 國際時勢：美國媒體民主運動

【教育小報報】

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◎ 國際時勢：美國媒體民主運動

前言：　日前，行政院新聞局欲委託民間團體對媒體進行「評鑑」，引發強烈反

彈，認為新聞局此舉乃是藉他人之手干預媒體言論自由。有立委指出，為了避免政府干預媒體，因仿效成立類似美國聯邦傳播委員會（FCC）的行政中立機構，對媒體進行管制。但FCC自成立至今，已漸成為政治力和財團的禁臠，喪失中立的立場。FCC演變至此，處處以美國為規臬的台灣，豈可不慎！

１．FCC解除媒體所有權管制，美國輿論反對　（Reuters）

美國聯邦傳播委員會（FCC）將在6月2日投票，決定是否解除全國及地方上施行已久防止媒體所有權集中的規定。這些規定包括：防止電視網擁有另一個電視網，限制地方電視台的數目，防止任何一家電視網在美國擁有35%的收視戶，禁止一家公司在同一社區同時擁有有線電視系統和電視台，禁止一家公司在同一社區同時擁有報紙和電視台等。由於茲事體大，FCC又未讓此一議題進行更廣泛的辯論，已引起許多民主派人士的不滿，準備展開抵制行動。

美國對媒體集中進行管制，已行之有年，主要是希望能讓言論市場多元化，並提供高品質、重視少數聲音的媒體環境，簡而言之，就是促進公共利益。不過自1980年代雷根政府倡行新自由主義的經濟政策後，自由貿易、鼓勵私有化、解除管制變成為經濟發展的主流思維。反應在媒體發展上的就是，媒體財團透過各種管道，以解禁將可促成媒體市場自由競爭之名，遊說美國政府解除所有管制。

媒體財團的努力，在1996年獲致第一波的成功。是年，美國修正通過「電訊傳播法」，放寬多項廣電與有線電視媒體所有權集中的限制，這促成了許多大型媒體的併購案。在布希政府上台後，與其關係密切的媒體財團，發動第二波解禁行動，而其目標就是FCC。FCC共有5名委員，而共和黨籍占了3名，現任主席Michael Powell是美國國務卿Colin Powell之子。在共和黨籍委員占多數的情況下，解禁案很可能在6月2日通過，因此FCC的2名民主黨籍委員Michael Copps和r Jonathan Adelstein，就聯合亦是民主黨籍的眾議員Xavier Becerra，要求FCC在做此重大決定前，應將相關資訊廣而周之，讓民眾分析和討論解禁的利弊。

3位民主黨人士指出，解除媒體所有權集中的規定，將徹底改變美國媒體的版圖

，媒體日後將掌握在少數人手中，不但未增進媒體的競爭，媒體言論可能因此變得更加的保守反動；這麼重大的決定，若不謹慎為之，那就像是把阿拉丁神燈裡的巨人釋放出去，再也收不回來。

Independent television producers joined three federal officials on Monday in urging U.S. regulators to rethink and at least delay a June 2 vote on changing broadcasting rules until further studies can be done. Two FCC commissioners, along with U.S. Congressman Xavier Becerra, all Democrats, argued that not enough information is available to make sound decisions on how deregulation of television and radio will affect U.S. citizens.

At a public forum held by the University of Southern California on media ownership, they warned that if rule changes were adopted in June, as is widely expected within broadcasting circles, the changes would be too difficult to go back and fix later.

"What's important is that there is a potential here to remake our entire media landscape," FCC Commissioner Michael Copps said. "Suppose for a moment we vote to significantly loosen or eliminate (the rules) ...? How do you put that genie back in the bottle? The simple answer is you won't, because you can't."

FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein wondered, "What's the rush to make major changes, now?" Becerra added that the drive for a June 2 vote by the FCC "seems like a runaway train."

FCC Chairman Michael Powell, a Republican, has set June 2 as the date the five FCC commissioners will likely vote on revising decades-old media ownership limits that have come under fire from a federal appeals court. Powell has said he favors relaxing the rules a bit and is expected to be joined by his fellow Republicans colleagues.

The speeches by the Democrats brought applause from an audience of largely independent entertainment industry producers, executives and others who filled USC's large meeting room to near capacity.

The FCC has undertaken a broad review of broadcast rules that may culminate in changes to decades-old rules governing how many broadcast outlets may be owned in one city by one company and whether rules should be relaxed on whether stations in different markets can be owned by a single company.

Other such "cross-ownership" rules dealing with one company owning newspapers, radio and television in one or various markets, and with major TV networks owning local stations covering over 35 percent of the U.S. market or owning more than one broadcast network, too, are up for review.

The four major networks NBC, a unit of General Electric Co., The Walt Disney Co.'s ABC Viacom Inc.'s CBS and News Corp. Ltd.'s Fox support rule changes. They argue current regulations are anti-competitive and outdated when news and entertainment travel via airwaves, cable TV lines, satellite dishes and the Internet.

Opponents complain that relaxing the rules will put too much power in too few hands, and they worry that having information and entertainment controlled by only a few major companies will squelch（鎮壓） independent voices in the industry.

Writer-producer William Blinn, whose TV credits include "Starsky and Hutch" and "Roots," noted a major movie will be released by a studio, then sold for TV to a network owned by the same company that owns the studio and later to a cable TV channel that, again, is owned by the same parent company.

"This circular, digestive food chain can be described in a lot of ways, but I don't think competition is one," Blinn said. He said putting product control in the hands of too few industry voices, "tends to homogenize what is put out, because it homogenizes（同質化）the creators."

But Alex Wallau, president of the ABC Television Network, said Disney has many different, diverse channels that it owns, such as ABC, all-sports network ESPN and SoapNet, as well as having interests in A&E Television and E! Entertainment.

"To say there is a homogenization is ludicrous（可笑的）," Wallau told Reuters. "These are very diverse voices."

ABC offered several statistics to support a case that TV is more diverse than ever and noted that in recent years, as ownership rules have relaxed, the growth of cable TV channels has only increased diversity of content.

２．麥克．鮑爾拒絕透露媒體解禁計畫內容　（Indymedia）

儘管各方要求FCC主席Michael Powell，應公布解除媒體所有權管制計畫的內容，並進行公開辯論，但Michael Powell不為所動，堅持在6月2日投票後才會有所說明。

On June 2, the FCC plans to vote on whether to "relax" the rules for owning American news media. For months, an expanding media democracy movement has produced an unprecedented amount of public opposition to FCC chair Michael Powell's proposed deregulation, as well as growing, bipartisan Congressional pressure for greater transparency（透明）and more public debate. (In Washington, Representatives Inslee and McDermott have spoken out against Powell's plans, and Senators Cantwell and Murray have called for more Congressional oversight before a decision is made. Despite all this, Powell has refused to reveal the specifics of his proposed changes until after the June 2 vote. If the FCC decides to allow further media concentration, the resulting stampede of megamergers would give a shrinking handful of large, politically conservative corporations even greater influence over what is reported--or ignored--in the news. The public's ability to have open, informed discussion with a wide variety of viewpoints would be even further compromised.

There is still time to take action. Write to Congress and the FCC here, urging greater transparency, further Congressional inquiry and more time for public comment. On Sat. May 31 at the old Ballard Safeway (5710 22nd Ave NW), a group of Seattle artist/activists will host Weapons of Mass Distraction, a multimedia event drawing attention to the FCC rulemaking.

Michael Powell的強硬態度，引發美國社會的不滿。根據R.W. McChesney 和John Nichols的一篇報告，在 FCC打算解除媒體所權管制後，它們收到近2千封評論

，表達反對的立場。一些媒體運動團體也站出來表達反對意見，包括獨立媒體中心的資深記者、社區媒體運動團體、媒體工會，以及消費者聯盟等公益團體。一群藝術家和運動人士也籌組「大規模分心武器」論壇，準備呼籲美國民眾建立媒體意識，並協助進行公開討論，何為真正的民主。

"Weapons of Mass Distraction" - an ongoing forum to bring artists and activists together to create media awareness and to help facilitate discussion and true Democracy. Open to the public, this multimedia show includes speakers, video, graphic and performance art. We hope to continue this event on a quarterly or semi-annual basis to keep the public aware and engaged.

The focus for this initial event is to raise public awareness about the swift, stealthy（偷偷摸摸的）and irrevocable（難以挽回的） changes Michael Powell attempting to push through the FCC as soon as early June, which would allow unprecedented concentration of media ownership in the hands of a very small number of Bush allies. The first phase of this deregulation happened under Clinton in 1996 and resulted in the media landscape we are in today - one that is heavily aligned with big business and which has allowed an unelected president to walk into the white house with very little of the public outcry reflected in the media.（Indymedia）

３．FCC簡介

FCC是根據1934年通過的傳播法所設，其下共設6局10處，並由5名委員共管

。這5名委員是由美國總統提名，並經參議院通過，美國總統再從5名委員中選出1名擔任主席，主席代表FCC所有對外事務。5名委員中，同一政黨者最多只占3名，但若遇重大表決，3名其實已超過半數。因此，雖然FCC有規定，擔任委員者不得與媒體相關事業有利益關係，以確保行政中立，但政治力的介入及媒體財團的關說施壓，已使FCC委員立場有所偏頗。

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent United States government agency, directly responsible to Congress. The FCC was established by the Communications Act of 1934 and is charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable. The FCC's jurisdiction covers the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. possessions.

The FCC is directed by five Commissioners appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for 5-year terms, except when filling an unexpired term. The President designates one of the Commissioners to serve as Chairperson. Only three Commissioners may be members of the same political party. None of them can have a financial interest in any Commission-related business.

As the chief executive officer of the Commission, the Chairman delegates management and administrative responsibility to the Managing Director. The Commissioners supervise all FCC activities, delegating responsibilities to staff units and Bureaus.

媒體大搜查：

美國的媒體環境隨著商業勢力的進逼，而日益惡化，台灣也漸漸步入後塵，媒體炒作社會新聞，以追逐閱聽（讀）率，圖謀商業利益的趨勢，早令許多有識之士不滿。對於台灣媒體環境的惡化，有許多人集結成團體或以個人身分，為文批評此一亂象。以下是我們為立報讀者所選擇的優質社運團體、個人、公益機構的網站，網站對台灣的媒體問題有精闢的觀察和評論。

個人部分：

１．「關於媒體改革」，網址為http://mypaper3.ttimes.com.tw/user/aboutfish2/index.html，台主為資深記者「關魚」，對媒體改革觀念有深刻的分析和檢討。

２．「媒體小鋪」，網址為http://mypaper1.ttimes.com.tw/user/benla/index.html，

台主為媒體社運工作者暨傳播學者「五分珠」，本站集合傳播學理及實務批判分析。台主亦發行電子報，訂報請參閱以下網址http://iwebs.url.com.tw/enewstyle/chinstro.asp?ch=298&which=category　

３．「記者偏見之斷簡殘編二台」，網址為http://mypaper1.ttimes.com.tw/user/turtle2022/index.html　，台主為任職於報社的資深記者turtle，對黨政、社會及傳播生態有很深刻的觀察。

社運團體：

４．「傳播學生鬥陣」，網址為http://mypaper1.ttimes.com.tw/user/SCSTW/index.html，本團體由北區大專院校的傳播科系學生所組成，該團體亦發行電子報，訂報請參考以下網站http://iwebs.url.com.tw/enewstyle/chinstro.asp?ch=240&which=categor　

公益機構：

５．「媒體觀察基金會」，網址為http://www.mediawatch.org.tw　，國內首創對電視節目監看、並定期發不監看報告之公益機構。

６．「與媒體對抗」，網址為http://61.218.2.5　，本土色彩極強的媒體監督機構，其監看對象包括電子和平面媒體，而且參與監看者多為志工。