Self-serving message

Re “The future of media,” editorial, Dec. 4

Your editorial fundamentally damages the credibility of The Times. Your disclosure that the position advocated in the editorial advances the interests of the Tribune Co. is woefully insufficient (labeling the column as an advertisement would be more appropriate), and the arguments offered are weak and unsupported by evidence or analysis.

The claim that the ban on newspaper cross-ownership is ineffective and a relic of another age because of the Internet is ludicrous, especially given that the Internet has also now been so effectively colonized by these same big media companies.

The deterioration of this newspaper over the last several years provides a strong case for why the Federal Communications Commission should, if anything, take steps to prevent further consolidations of media companies.

Thomas A. Hollihan

Professor of

Communication, USC

Los Angeles

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Your editorial about media ownership couldn’t be more off-base or self-serving. Despite the Internet Age, online news is not the most popular source. It’s not even close.

According to the Project for Excellence in Journalism, it lags well behind local TV news, the local newspaper, the national network news and local radio as the most popular news destinations. Plus, most Internet news sites just consolidate content from other respected sources. Given that, lack of diversity is a real criticism that you too quickly dismiss given where people turn for news -- especially when you consider the broadcast mandate to serve the public interest. How is a diverse city like Los Angeles better served by fewer companies and fewer sources of news?

Jim Rhyne

Los Angeles