Media Monopoly is Good for You-Cnet

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http://news.com.com/2061-10802_3-5702152.html?part=rss&tag=5702152&subj=news

Bloggers are once again tearing into corporate-funded studies that just happen to further corporate goals, in this case challenging a study that says big media chains are just as open, and have standards just as high as smaller, family-owned outlets.

I'm not sure if that is supposed to be entirely reassuring. But for what it's worth, the New Millennium Research Council study, penned by scholar Ben Compaine, paints a bright picture of blooming alternative media sources despite today's consolidation trends.

"There is no support for the contention that media ownership by chains or conglomerates leads to any consistent pattern of lowered standards, content, or performance when compared with media owned by families or small companies," the study reads.

In their critique, bloggers note that New Millennium is closely tied to Issue Dynamics, a Washington public affairs firm that numbers the big telecommunications companies among its clients. The NMRC has also released studies that boost those big telcos' goals.

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