Illinois Campaign for Political Reform Joins New National

Illinois Campaign for Political Reform Joins New National
Effort To Promote Free Air Time As Next Step in Campaign Reform

The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform (ICPR) has joined the Free Air Time Coalition. ICPR will take part in a nationwide grassroots campaign to build support for proposals requiring that television and radio stations provide free air time before all elections for candidate ads, debates and issue discussion.

The campaign is being launched in the wake of the passage of Congress of a campaign finance reform bill designed to limit the supply of political money. A free air time system would reduce the demand for political money - and in the process open up political campaigns to more candidates, more ideas and more competition.

"Television stations have an obligation to serve the public interest and can do that by balancing campaign commercials with real issue discussions and substantive news coverage," said former U.S. Sen. Paul Simon, who is chair of ICPR and serves as co-chair of the national Free Air Time Coalition. "Money shouldn't be all that talks in this campaign year."

The Free Air Time Coalition is made up of scores of local civic organizations and 30 national groups - including the AARP, the AFL-CIO, Common Cause, the League of Women Voters, the NAACP, Consumers Union, the National Council of Churches and the Youth Vote Coalition. It will be staffed by the Alliance for Better Campaigns.

"Most Americans don't realize that the public owns the airwaves," said Alliance President Paul Taylor. "Once they learn, we believe that support for free air time proposals, already strong, will grow even stronger."

In 2002, ICPR will host forums across the state at which civic activists, community leaders and elected officials will discuss the free air time issue. More information about the campaign is available at www.FreeAirTime.org or by contacting ICPR at 312-335-1767.