Plurality of Voices?

The idea that multiple and diverse voices are§essential to a democratic system has held sway with§theorists and jurists for centuries. Newspaper§publishers have by and large fallen into agreement§but have resisted any governmental attempts to ensure§that many newspapers remain relevant in the§marketplace. It was after one such objection in the§early 1960s that the downward spiral of newspapers§began to grow more pronounced.§ The rise of television news, growing economic§pressures, the migration of people from the cities to§the suburbs and the changing reading habits of§Americans weakened many newspapers and killed others.§Many other newspapers found security in numbers,§either joining operations with a partner or selling§to enterprising industrialists with ideas of making§profits. The industrialists often found that the§acquisition of multiple communications properties §particularly those in concentrated geographical areas made the publishing business profitable.§ This study explores the issue of newspaper§competition through the lenses of legal and§historical evidence. It establishes a context for the§treacherous environment in which newspapers exist§today.