That annoying interruption may instead be a concerned citizen trying to stop the attacks on senior citizen's health care, or the felling of the last of the great old growth trees. This voice, out of place as it may feel, represents a human-scale version of a choice on an issue of our day. It doesn't come from a multi-media marketing campaign, or out of a public relations focus group. It's a small voice, and even though deep-down you may want to hear it, it never seems to fit between the commercials. The single most significant challenge faced by human-scale organizations seeking public policy change is this isolated, apathetic and disempowered public.
Democracy requires active citizens just as much as tyranny prefers spectators.
In fact, the only business protected by the U.S. Constitution is the press. The state of modern communications in the United Stated is dominated by the profit motive, and the concentration of ownership is growing as corporations like Disney, General Electric, and Westinghouse swallow broadcast media channels all across the spectrum. A media system that serves advertisers and shareholders above all other interests runs counter to the aims of democracy. The recent national Telecommunications Act of 1996 contributed to these negative trends by reducing public interest requirements for media companies dramatically. Established consumer groups have long been advocates of public utility reform, but rarely have they taken on the private domination of public airwaves.