Source : Canada NewsWire

Today's decision by the CRTC on media ownership "allows the big players to become bigger, and does very little if anything to limit media concentration in Canada," says Peter Murdoch, Vice-President, Media, of Canada's largest media union, the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union.

"While the CRTC decision seems to put up some kind of gate to stop the concentration of media ownership, it still allows big broadcasters such as CanWest or CTV to own even more media outlets," he says.

"The Commission has taken the smallest step possible to limit local media concentration, while allowing in some areas, increased concentration. The new policy does nothing about media empires that currently have a stranglehold on some large markets, such as Vancouver, or about what happens on a national level.

"That does not spell diversity to me.

"As for the Journalistic Code of Independence, CEP has always maintained that codes of conduct should be set by the professionals who work in the field, not by representatives of employers.

"Hospital administrators do not make up a code for physicians. Lawyers make up their own code, as do teachers, and other professionals. A journalistic code should be a matter for journalists."

© Canada NewsWire

Related Documents:

October 16, 2007 - Podcast - FRIENDS presentation to the CRTC on the Diversity of Voices proceeding

September 21, 2007 - Policy Brief - Presentation to the CRTC Diversity of Voices Proceeding [PN CRTC 2007-5+41]
FRIENDS tells the CRTC BDUs have a huge impact on diversity of voices and should be a focus of the CRTC's review.