New
US Postal Rates Undermine
Small Publications
By Stephen Lendman
19 April, 2007
Countercurrents.org
The
US Constitution's First Amendment guarantees the right of free expression
including a press free to do it in. Jefferson, Madison and Congress
wanted information easily and cheaply disseminated to the public and
structured a comprehensive postal system designed to do it reaching
into cities and villages alike including in new developing parts of
the country in the West. The mass media of that time consisted largely
of pamphlets like those Tom Paine wrote and colonial era newspapers
beginning with the first ever published called the Boston News-Letter
debuting in April, 1704 and later Ben Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette
first published in 1728 that gained the largest circulation of that
time and was considered the best newspaper in the colonies.
Later ones survived and flourished
because Congress wanted them to. It chose to underwrite their proliferation
by not taxing them and through a system of low affordable postal rates
and free exchange of newspapers among themselves. Congress then gave
all newspapers equal privilege to encourage their growth and help prevent
government from manipulating news and public opinion the way it's done
now through the dominant media in all forms.
In his 2004 book, The Creation
of the Media, Princeton sociologist Paul Starr explained how politics
in early America assured the nation's postal system would make it possible
for the press to grow and thrive. He wrote: "In the 18th century,
the idea was that the press could be people's guardian. (It) could help
check abuses of power." Unanticipated at the time was how media
would develop becoming so concentrated and dominant it would end up
"pos(ing) new problems for democracy." It's even worse when
the media decides it's in its own interest to partner with government
instead of being its watchdog.
Such is the state of things
today, and it's led to first time ever changes in postal policy directly
subverting USPS' own 215 year history. That's according to the urgent
message just sent his Free Press supporters (including this writer)
by the organization's founder, author, media critic, activist, and noted
professor of media studies at the University of Illinois' main campus
in Champaign-Urbana Robert McChesney.
He noted how rarely he sends
out messages to "everyone in (his) address book (but did it this
time on a matter he finds) "of staggering importance and urgency
(because) There is a major crisis in our media taking place right now;
it's getting almost no attention and unless we act very soon the consequences
for our society could well be disastrous. And it will only take place
because it is being done without any public awareness or participation
(going against) the very foundations of freedom of the press (in all)
American history."
McChesney goes on saying
(unless stopped) the US postal system is implementing "a radical
reformulation of its rates for magazines" to place a much larger
cost burden on smaller periodicals than on the largest ones standing
to benefit from the policy change. Up to now, postal policy "converted
the (First Amendment's) Free Press clause....from an abstract principle
into a living breathing reality for Americans," and it's been that
way "throughout our history."
All that's about to be scrapped
with new rates scheduled to take effect July 15 under which small publications
will pay postal rates as much as 20% higher than the largest ones in
a willful plan to undermine them, weaken media competition further,
and as McChesney explains: "make it almost impossible to launch
a new magazine (or other publication) unless it is spawned by a huge
conglomerate" wanting to get huger. This new postal policy, crafted
"in the dark of night," will adversely affect every small
political journal in the nation including those providing the only print
source of real news, information and analysis of vital world and national
issues many readers rely on but may lose.
That's the whole idea with
the nominally independent US Postal Service (USPS) in bed with big media
to stack the deck in its favor and in the process subvert the sacred
First Amendment moving flank speed toward the dustbin of US history
unless derailed. That's no small statement with this policy less than
90 days from taking effect along with the still unresolved battle in
Congress over Net Neutrality allowing readers access to this article
they may not have if telecom and cable giants gain control of the internet
so it's no longer free and open.
McChesney notes the new postal
rates "were developed with no public involvement or congressional
oversight (in a scheme) drafted by (media giant) Time Warner, the largest
magazine publisher in the nation." McChesney believes responsible
postal bureaucrats failed to consider how adverse their action is to
a free and open press. This writer has darker thoughts, however, believing
it's another example of dirty political machinations with corporate
America telling government and bureaucrats to jump and their responding
how high.
McChesney continues saying
how hard it is to exaggerate the "corruption and sleaziness of
this" whole business with a big media lawyer he quotes admitting:
"It takes a publishing company several hundred thousand dollars
to even participate in these rate cases. Some large corporations spend
millions to influence these rates."
He continues saying the "genius
of the postal rate structure over the past 215 years was that it did
not favor a particular viewpoint (and) it simply made it easier for
smaller magazines to be launched and to survive." It's a democracy
issue, it affects all small and mid-sized ones, on the left and right,
in all fields or subjects like "politics, music, sports or gardening."
The whole dirty business
went on with so little publicity with only big media involved, it's
only come to light a few weeks ago, and it's now late in the game to
try stopping it. But that's just what must be done and here's how:
Go to www.stoppostalratehikes.com.
Sign the letter to the Postal Board protesting the new rate system and
"demanding a congressional hearing" with no radical changes
until one is gotten.
Help spread the word on this
to friends and family and get them to act as well - NOW.
Important: THE DEADLINE FOR
COMMENTS IS MONDAY, APRIL 23. Action is needed promptly.
Stephen Lendman
lives in Chicago and can be reached at [email protected].
Also visit his blog site
at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to the Steve Lendman
News and Information Hour on The Micro Effect.com each Saturday at noon
US central time.
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