Interdisciplinary and International Studies

Media Experts Visit

Charles Benton and colleagues during master class

With just a few companies controlling our information and entertainment outlets, the number of voices being heard in the media is rapidly shrinking. That's one of the points made by Charles Benton, a prominent advocate for media diversity, localism, and competition who visited campus in January along with Kevin Taglang, director of research for the Benton Foundation, and Jim Kohlenberger, a Benton fellow who was domestic policy adviser to the Clinton administration.

Recipient of the 2004 Distinguished Grantmaker Award, Benton, who chairs the Washington, D.C.-based Benton Foundation, spoke to students and the broader public about media consolidation, which he believes threatens democracy by limiting who can access the publicly owned airwaves. During a two-day stay, Benton participated in classroom activities, mentored students interested in careers in telecommunications policy, gave two public addresses, and led a roundtable discussion.

The visits were part of the division's 2005 "Engaging Democracy" series.

Photo by John Clisham