Big Media Covers Bush Administration While Lobbying It

While the giant US media networks are covering the US's invasion of Iraq, they are also heavily lobbying to get rid of restriction on the number of TV and radio stations they can own in one market.The Guardian reports media critics are alarmed by what they see as a "serious conflict of interest" concerning how the broadcast industry covers the Bush administration.

"It is likely that decisions about how to cover the war on Iraq - especially on television - may be tempered by a concern not alienate the White House," said Jeffrey Chester, Center for Digital Democracy executive director, in a recent article. "These media giants stand to make untold billions if the FCC safeguards are eliminated or weakened." The Guardian writes, "Mr Chester accused the US media of adopting a 'narrow-minded commercial mindset' , reflected by their failure to 'effectively analyse and criticise the Iraq war policy' ahead of an impending ruling by the FCC on the media ownership regime."