Boring but important

New media ownership rules

The Federal Communications Commission has finalized rules to allow media companies to own a newspaper and a TV or radio station in the same market. Previously, the FCC barred such concentrations of ownership, on the theory that the public interest was served by having a diversity of sources. Under the new rules, media companies could own both newspapers and stations in the same market, providing they can show that local news coverage would improve as a result. Barring congressional action, the changes could take effect next month.

The cost of the wars

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The actual cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is $1.6 trillion, about double the administration’s funding requests, according to a report by congressional Democrats. The study attempted to measure the “hidden” costs of the wars, including interest on money borrowed to fight them, lost investment, and the expense of long-term care for wounded veterans. The price tag works out to $20,900 per American family, the study said. The White House dismissed the report as “partisan and political.”