Testimony of Jerome Chroman on media ownership, presented to the FCC in Seattle, Nov. 30 2006 [transcription]

Hi. I am Jerome Chroman, and as a member of a local Unitarian Universalist congregation, I strongly affirm the Unitarian Universalist principle that calls for a responsible search for truth and meaning. I believe that, in a democracy, the media plays a crucial role in enabling this search for truth and meaning to take place. When consolidation of media in the hands of just a few of the wealthiest individuals and corporations takes place, that search gets placed on the back burner and is replaced by a search for profit and power for the corporate executives and the stockholders.

The search for truth is elusive, and I believe that when we maximize the number of voices that are engaged in this pursuit, we have a greater chance of finding it or at least coming closer than when we allow just a few voices to have primary access to the citizenry. Let’s make sure we open up the media playing-field to as much diversity as we can so we can all have the benefit of hearing as wide an array of opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints as possible -- not just from the privileged few who can afford to buy up the media and apparently give credence to the old maxim that ‘freedom of the press goes only to those who own it.’ Thank you.