What if one corporation controls every daily newspaper in Northern
California?
By Clint Reilly
Clint Reilly, a former campaign manager who operates as a media activist and columnist, twice sued in federal court to stop the Hearst moves to newspaper monopoly in San Francisco and with Singleton in the East Bay.
As a result of a court settlement in his latest case, he writes a column that appears in Singleton papers but not in the Hearst/Chronicle. Here’s his latest column:
One utility company dominates Northern California. But what if one corporation controlled every daily newspaper?
Newspaper firms argue that monopolies – which streamline production and editorial costs – are the only way for financially beleaguered metropolitan dailies to survive.
The California Public Utilities Commission regulates PG&E for consumers. But who regulates a monopoly newspaper?
If large media conglomerates – unfettered by anti-trust laws – are given a blank check to re-engineer news-gathering in the absence of competition, the results could be grave.