“Can’t happen here, you say…” “America is the land of competition that generates new technology to ensure a diversity of voices…”
William Safire’s op-ed is a clear, conscious and ironic reasoning on the monopolist trend that is leading to the merge of all media giants, (Murdoch-Fox&Co, NBC-Universal-Vivendi, Time Warner-CNN-AOL, Disney-ABC-ESPN…) regardless for the basic rules of competition and free speech that are roots of the American liberal democracy.
Once again, the globalization is empowering big corporations, and reducing multiplicity and variety. It is also homogenizing the different country’s media systems, and spreading the same problems across the Oceans.
“You say that the US government would never allow that? But what of the Senate, guardian of free speech?,” asks Safire, incredulous.
But in Italy - with Berlusconi's duopoly and current monopoly - we have been asking the same questions for the last five-ten years!
"The Five Sisters", The New York Times.
www.nytimes.com/2004/02/16/opinion/16SAFI.html
Good point.
It would have been interesting to add a link to an Italian story on Berlusconi's monopoly.