Geodialog Media: Court Ruling Gives Power to Corps, Harms Women, Minority Journalism Entrepreneurs

CHICAGO, April 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A U.S. Supreme Court ruling that OK'd the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) media ownership deregulation could be detrimental to women and minorities trying to get a foothold in media ownership.

With the case Federal Communications Commission v. Prometheus Radio Project, No. 19-1231 the Court on April 1 said the FCC acted reasonably when it relaxed three media-ownership restrictions. Geodialog Media LLC CEO, Christine Marie Nielsen, says it's important the current administration continues to look at this issue.

"The Supreme Court noted in its ruling there is a lack of data regarding how such deregulation may impact ownership by women and minorities," says Geodialog Media's Nielsen. "It's time to get that data. It's time to monitor how these groups are impacted."

Nielsen notes that in addition to a funding gap, women and minorities are often already behind when forming a business because of a lack of access to business networks.

In 2017, the FCC repealed rules set up to increase competition and limit the number of television and radio stations one entity can own in the same market. Ownership of more than one type of media entity in the same market had also been limited. A 2019 ruling by the 3rd Circuit ordered the FCC to reassess the issue.

Federal telecommunications laws direct the FCC to review its media-ownership rules every four years. The FCC may revisit the rules under President Joe Biden. The FCC has scheduled its next Open Commission Meeting for April 22.

Nielsen warns against unchecked growth of corporate and individual influence across multiple channels. She says such influence threatens not only to squeeze out fledgling players, but to overwhelm with a single narrative, a narrative that is not always representative of reality or the perspective of the public that consumes information.

About Christine Marie Nielsen
In 2012, Nielsen launched Geodialog Media LLC in conjunction with creating the Dialog Journalism® brand to form a solution-focused dissemination of news that integrates international editorial content and an online social media forum. Click here to learn more about Dialog Journalism®. About the same time, she also invented a System for an Interactive News Forum as a way to incorporate individual voices into a news stream. She is currently embarking on a speaking series, "You Don't Know Until You've Been There™" which focuses on the need for input by affected populations in local news reporting.

Nielsen grew up in Milwaukee - one of the most polarized cities in the U.S. in terms of socioeconomic circumstances and race. She's written about how intergenerational poverty has impacted her family. In addition to creating her company, she has worked as a staff reporter for news companies Dow Jones & Company Inc. and Knight Ridder Inc. She's also worked as an intercultural editor to reporters located around the world on behalf of organizations including the Christian Science Monitor and Living Earth Television. She has an MA from Northwestern University in Creative Writing and a BA from Marquette University in Journalism with a minor in English.

Geodialog Media LLC
Geodialog Media LLC was the first dialogic-based journalism organization.

Our Earth Issues (OEI) at https://ourearthissues.com, one of Geodialog Media's flagship products, attempts to show reported perspective from each region, incorporating news articles and other types of media from that region and input from local audiences. The focus is on how a single issue plays out and is viewed from the eyes of community members. Potential solutions to problems reported in the news are also discussed. OEI uses Facebook groups and Geodialog™ Global Town Halls to come together with its audience. Geodialog Publishing publishes works that underpin conversations, and a podcast and downloadable videos make further related information available online. Click here to learn more about Geodialog Media https://geodialogmedia.com.

Media Contact:
Christine Marie Nielsen
Geodialog Media LLC
(877) 871-6224 
[email protected] 
geodialogmedia.com  

SOURCE Geodialog Media LLC