Issued by: Laura L. Hunt, 414-229-6447; llhunt@uwm.edu
MILWAUKEE – Can a few giant media conglomerates provide the diverse and independent viewpoints residents need to hear in order to make informed decisions? How well is the media serving the community in other respects?
Two members of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will discuss these topics and hear citizen input at a public hearing, “Town Meeting on the Future of Media,” on Thursday, Sept. 7, at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM).
The free, public forum begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts, 1900 E. Kenwood Blvd. It will be moderated by Justice Janine Geske, Distinguished Professor of Law at Marquette University Law School.
Commissioners Jonathan Adelstein and Michael Copps will discuss regulatory issues at this forum, organized by Free Press, a national nonpartisan organization working to increase informed public participation in media policy. Other speakers include Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton, Free Press co-founders John Nichols and Robert McChesney, and UWM Journalism Professor David Allen.
The meeting also will include an open microphone session for the public to offer testimony on media issues. All testimony will be recorded and submitted to the FCC and Wisconsin’s elected officials.
The meeting is being held in partnership with the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at UWM; the Diederich College of Communication at Marquette University; AFSCME Council 48; Campaign Neighborhood – CFNBA; Citizen Action of Wisconsin; the Center for Media and Democracy; Common Cause, Wisconsin; Community Shares of Greater Milwaukee; the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin; MATA Community Media; Milwaukee LGBT Community Center; NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin; the Midwest States Center; Wisconsin Democracy Campaign; the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO and others.
For more information on “Town Meeting on the Future of Media,” visit: http://www.freepress.net/future/=milwaukee
###
(CONTACT: David Allen at UWM, 414-229-4619, dsallen@uwm.edu. Copps and Adelstein will be available for a limited number of interviews prior to the event. To schedule an interview, contact Craig Aaron of Free Press at 202-265-1490, x 25.)
