1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to oppose media consolidation and take action to protect press independence from what University of Pennsylvania scholar Victor Pickard calls "media capture," a cascade of problems involving media ownership and control that endangers our information systems and First Amendment freedoms. Recent developments at CBS News illustrate how corporate interests aligned with political power threaten journalism. Paramount Skydance, CBS's parent company, is attempting to acquire Warner Brothers Discovery and needs FCC approval. The company is run by David Ellison, son of Trump supporter Larry Ellison, and the deal is overseen by Trump-appointed FCC chair Brendan Carr. This creates dangerous incentives for CBS to align its coverage with administration preferences rather than journalistic integrity. The consequences are already visible. CBS evening news anchor Tony Dokoupil recently misrepresented the network's own reporting on ICE arrests, inverting research to emphasize crimes rather than the fact that few were violent crimes, with DUIs far outpacing homicides and sexual assaults. Journalist Alicia Hastey departed CBS, stating that stories are now "evaluated not just on their journalistic merits but on whether they conform to a shifting set of ideological expectations." As journalist Parker Molloy observed, the government doesn't need to formally censor when corporations start censoring themselves after sufficient threats. This represents a form of censorship more insidious than direct government action. When corporate media bosses protect commercial interests by preemptively shaping coverage to please those in power, the public loses access to independent information essential to democracy. I urge you to support strict limits on media consolidation, champion independent local journalism, and ensure the FCC operates as a truly nonpartisan body serving the public interest rather than corporate profits. Journalism must serve the public, not help the rich and powerful maintain control.