TO-DO LIST
FOR MEDIA REFORM ACTIVISTS
| 1. | COLLECT SIGNATURES ON THE "OUR DEMOCRACY, OUR AIRWAVES" DECLARATION.
Fax them to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign at 608-255-4359 or mail them to us at 210 North Bassett Street, Suite 215, Madison, WI 53703. To download a printable version of the declaration, go here. (Pdf file requiring Adobe Acrobat. If you do not have it, you can download Adobe Acrobat for free here.) |
| 2. | ORGANIZE A COMMUNITY FORUM OR NEIGHBORHOOD DISCUSSION GROUP TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THE NEED FOR MEDIA REFORM.
Call toll-free 1-888-455-4260 or 1-888-6FreeTV (1-888-637-3388) to get a copy of the 7-minute video featuring Walter Cronkite and a discussion guide. |
| 3. |
JOIN THE DEMOCRACY CAMPAIGN.
To join now, or to make an extra donation if you are already a member go here. |
| 4. | SIGN UP TO RECEIVE ISSUE UPDATES AND ACTION ALERTS FROM WDC (Top right-hand corner of page). |
| 5. | CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS TO URGE THEM TO SUPPORT AND ACTIVELY WORK FOR PASSAGE OF THE OUR DEMOCRACY, OUR AIRWAVES ACT. |
| 6. | WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER ABOUT THE FAILURE OF BROADCASTERS TO SERVE THE PUBLIC INTEREST BY MEANINGFULLY COVERING ELECTIONS AND THE NEED FOR MEDIA REFORMS LIKE THE OUR DEMOCRACY, OUR AIRWAVES ACT. |
| 7. | ORGANIZE A GROUP OF FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS TO GO MEET WITH STATION MANAGERS AND NEWS DIRECTORS AT YOUR LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS TO EXPRESS YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT THE QUALITY OF COVERAGE OF IMPORTANT PUBLIC ISSUES AND ELECTION CAMPAIGNS.
Ask the stations to meet their public interest obligations by voluntarily committing to the standards established in the Our Democracy, Our Airwaves Act - programming that provides at least two hours per week of candidate- or issue-centered discussion in the four weeks preceding the November elections. At least half of that time must air in or near prime-time hours, when the greatest number of viewers will have a chance to learn about the candidates and issues in Campaign 2004. |
| 8. | GET INVOLVED IN AN EFFORT TO CHALLENGE THE LICENSES OF TELEVISION STATIONS THAT FAIL TO SERVE THE PUBLIC INTEREST.
Broadcasters receive free and exclusive licenses to operate on the public airwaves in exchange for a pledge to serve the public interest. When broadcasters fail to serve the public interest, the Federal Communications Commission can revoke their licenses. For more information, see fact sheet (pdf document) entitled “Participating in the Broadcast License Renewal Process: A Primer.” |