The Case of the Mysterious E-mails

When the Washington Post tried to contact 60 people who were listed as having "sent e-mails to the Federal Communications Commission opposing the proposed merger between the satellite radio networks XM and Sirius," the paper found "mostly unanswered phone calls and recordings saying the phones were disconnected." Only ten people "whose names were attached to identical, anti-merger e-mails instigated by the National Association of Broadcasters, a major opponent of the merger," could be reached. Of the ten, "nine said they never sent anything to the FCC, and only one said she remembered filling out something about Sirius but did not recall taking a position on a merger." A National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) spokesperson said his group recorded "the name, date, postal address and numerical Internet address" of the e-mailers, who "had to physically type in their name and address." While online campaigns are common and "it is not unusual for e-mailers to forget what they have -- or have not -- clicked on," one e-mailer told the Post she actually supported the merger. XM and Sirius have called the e-mails "suspicious." The FCC is expected to rule soon on the merger.

Comments

I oppose the proposed merger between the satellite radio networks XM and Sirius. I have no involvement with the NAB. I oppose the current state of media consolidation, let alone further consolidation. To my knowlege, XM and Sirius are the ONLY TWO satelite radio providers available which means they are already, inherently a monopoly (duopoly).

I would have assumed this website would oppose the merger and would realize that most emails in opposition were probably from citizens.

Does CMD SUPPORT the merger?

Hi, waterflaws,

CMD reports on organized campaigns to shape public opinion and policy, with a focus on those that are deceptive in some way. We posted the story on the NAB email campaign because we felt it fit with that focus. It was not a comment on the merger.

Our goal is to inform the public, reporters and researchers about how issues are framed and spun. CMD does not take a stance on most of the issues we report on. We have taken a stance against media consolidation in general, and on a few other issues that directly deal with the role of the news media in a democracy (for instance, [:taxonomy/term/142|in favor of VNR disclosure] and [:taxonomy/term/141|against journalists being forced to testify against their sources]).

Best,
Diane