Testimony of Kathy Schrier (President, Washington Journalism Education Association) on media ownership, presented to the FCC in Seattle, Nov. 30 2006 [transcription]

Hi, my name is Kathy Schrier. I am the current president of the Washington Journalism Education Association (WJEA) which is an organization of more than 100 journalism teachers and high school media advisers across the State of Washington. I also teach part-time in the Seattle public schools, and I work part-time for the Washington News Council.

The late Nelson Pointer -- founder of the Pointer Institute for Journalistic Excellence -- believed that journalism is meant to inform citizens and enlighten public discourse. As a journalism educator, I hope to launch students into a society where a multitude of voices and viewpoints are expressed and where the First Amendment reigns strong. Teachers who are members of the Washington Journalism Education Association spend a lot of time teaching about the First Amendment, and there are many students in our state who are passionate about the First Amendment. Consolidation of media ownership threatens to undermine our fundamental freedom of choice and access to information -- freedoms that our young people have a right to inherit as participants in our democracy.

Large corporate entities already control many aspects of our lives. The control of the airwaves and the printed word must not be in the hands of a select few. The FCC is a public trust. It can and must have a vision of the future that rejects super-sizing and embraces the public discourse that Nelson Pointer so cherished. Our children deserve nothing less. Thank you.