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Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green), Vice-Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Communications and Technology Subcommittee, today issued the following statement regarding the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) plans to suspend its “Critical Information Needs” study, which would have placed federal officials in the newsroom, so the FCC could monitor the news process and methods by which stories are selected.

“While I am pleased the FCC has decided to suspend its plans to conduct its ‘Critical Information Needs’ study, I remain concerned that the Commission sought to violate First Amendment rights and control the speech of journalists with such little regard,” said Latta. “This study appears to be an attempt to unconstitutionally control the editorial decisions of the media, and the FCC should terminate this study entirely.”

Congressman Latta first raised concerns about the FCC’s study in December, when he joined the Republican members of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee on a letter to the FCC, which expressed dismay at the study, urged the Commission to suspend its plans immediately, and requested that it seek appropriate and lawful ways to meet its responsibilities. 

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