Dear Media Reformer,
Last week, 16,000 Free Press e-activists sent a letter to Congress and the FCC calling for an investigation into "payola pundit" Armstrong Williams -- and it worked.
Less than 24 hours after the petition drive started, FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein urged an investigation. Fellow commissioner Michael Copps echoed the call, stating that "in a single day, the number of complaints coming into the FCC has grown from a few to thousands."
On Friday, Chairman Michael Powell responded to the public outcry, instructing the FCC Enforcement Bureau to open an investigation into the payola allegations. Your petitions also prompted members of Congress to contact Chairman Powell, asking for a full report. A letter from Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Rep. Diane Watson (D-Calif.) demanded that "the political discourse of our nation must not be for sale to the highest bidder."
Your active participation made the difference, proving once again that online activism is still a powerful force to reckon with as we build the movement for media reform.
Now we must remain vigilant to ensure a thorough investigation into the full scope of taxpayer-funded propaganda. Concrete measures must be adopted to pre-empt the next Armstrong Williams. As always, we'll keep you updated as the story develops.
Thanks for all that you do,
Josh Silver
Executive Director, Free Press
www.freepress.net
P.S.: Our ability to stop payola pundits and create a diverse, independent media depends on your support. Please join the Free Press Action Fund. With introductory memberships as low as $20, your contribution makes all the difference in helping us to expand the media reform movement. For more information, go to www.freepress.net/support.
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