Senator calls for investigation of buried FCC study

Senator calls for investigation of buried FCC study: "Former Federal Communications Commission (FCC) lawyer Adam Candeub claims that the government agency destroyed a 2004 study on the implications of local media ownership. The study, which revealed that locally owned television stations provide more local news coverage, blatantly contradicts the FCC's assertion that "commonly owned television stations are more likely to carry local news," an argument used by the agency to justify a position in favor of a hands-off approach to media ownership restrictions.

A surviving copy of the report ended up in the hands of California Senator Barbara Boxer, who supposedly received it "indirectly from someone within the FCC who believed the information should be made public," according Boxer spokeswoman Natalie Ravitzto. Boxer revealed the report to the public during a re-nomination confirmation hearing for FCC chief Kevin Martin. Both Martin and former FCC chairman Michael Powell have denied knowledge of the report, prompting Boxer to demand a full investigation."

(Via Ars Technica.)