How Mainstream Media is Still Trying to Censor Independent Outlets

     In the Boston Globe article titled "Don't Stamp out the Brainy Mags," the editorial details the postal hike in 2007 that sent the rates up for magazine distribution. The hike was proposed by media conglomerate Time Warner Cable, and costs for shipping out magazines to subscribers of independent publications would jump by $500,000 — and Time Warner–owned magazines would not face a similar burden. It seemed Time Warner was on a mission to censor small, independent publications that could not afford a major expense. With the smaller and poorer magazines out of the way, Time Warner would have less competition and continue their way to a monopoly on the media.
     But what's most concerning about this proposition was the government's unwillingness to intervene. The U.S. Postal Service's mission is the following: "“The Postal Service shall have as its basic function the obligation to provide postal services to bind the Nation together through the personal, educational, literary, and business correspondence of the people. It shall provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to patrons in all areas and shall render postal services to all communities.” If a government-provided service is supposed to serve all communities fairly and equally, how was this hike by Time Warner at all fair and equal under the postal service's mission statement? The conclusion of the article mentions how Congress must get involved to protect the rights of every citizen to fair postage. This implies Congress was not planning on getting involved or regulating the government-run service — all to heed the demands of a media conglomerate.
     With Congress' unwillingness to step in and Time Warner's blatant censorship, published voices become less diverse and fewer important stories get created and shared. Efforts to thwart independent media are grand and still continue nearly 10 years later. Just a few days ago, AT&T bought Time Warner, further monopolizing the market on mainstream media. Mainstream sources are uniting and becoming more powerful as they try to stamp out independent outlets.