Media and popular culture (2)

In his book the Media Monopoly Ben Bagdikian states that “In the last 5 years, a small number of the country's largest industrial corporations has acquired more public communications power-including ownership of the news-than any private businesses have ever before possessed in world history.”


A number of high profiled and high powered conglomerates have joined forces to heighten a greater power over a larger area of the media world. In social terms this “ communication cartel” should be providing the public with greater choice of information, as mass communication should be at an all time high.


Bagdikian goes on to explain a worrying fact, apart from a small minority these co operations who should be working with in the interest of the people, hold a conservative view point and are using this concentrated control to shape the thinking of the audience by sympathising with their shared political stance.


A prime example of this drip feeding of political propaganda is to look at the Fox news channel. Many controversies have surrounded their choice of programming and it has often been suggested they promote conservative political views with in their programmes.


A study by Steve Randell from the watchdog group FAIR into The Special Reports aired by the Fox channel, shows the manipulation of news for political ends. It was reported that the number of conservative to liberal guests was 50:6

In conclusion, to have these mass media monopolies, who as a group have the economical power and influence to not only produce, but to distribute news and informative views in to the very heart of ordinary people puts them in a more powerful position than many governmental groups to serve their publics with news and information 24/7. In reality however, and as Bagdikian illustrates they act as a as globally powerful tool who in many cases use their ability and power to infiltrate the social structure with political misconception and propaganda material for their own means.