1. Ownership And Control

Question 1

Types of media

Answer 1

1. Print media= physical media such as newspapers
2. Audio visual= radio and podcasts
3. Cyber and digital media

Question 2

Traditional media

Answer 2

-Mass media that communicated messages in a one way, non interactive process to very large audiences
-Associated with traditional broadcasting and mass circulation such as Sunday newspapers

Question 3

New media

Answer 3

-Interactive screen based digital technology involving the integration of images, text and sound
-And the technology used for the distribution and consumption of digital media content. Includes computers and internet etc

Question 4

Power of the media

Answer 4

-Ability to shape and mould our lives and identity
-Ppl think, act and behave in a certain way because of the opinion they hold and the knowledge they have
-Do the media inform us about everything?
-Do they favour some points of view spreading a dominant ideology?
-Media are privately owned and run to make a profit

Question 5

Features of media ownership

Answer 5

There are 6 main features of media ownership:

Question 6

Concentration

Answer 6

Increase in concentration of ownership into a few giant media corporations. 5 billionaires are said to own 80% of media

Question 7

Vertical integration

Answer 7

Ownership in a single medium.
Example: A film company owns a cinema chain

Question 8

Horizontal integration

Answer 8

Cross media ownership
Example: Ownership of a film company and a newspaper company

Question 9

Global ownership

Answer 9

Media ownership is international with owners having interests in many different countries around the world
Example: Disney operates around the world, changes language of films

Question 10

Conglomeration and diversification

Answer 10

Companies having wide variety of products besides the media
Example: A t shirt company setting up a broadband company

Question 11

Synergy

Answer 11

Media companies produce, promote and sell a product in a variety of forms
Example: Batman has numerous films, a theme tune and video game

Question 12

Bagdikian: ideas and questions

Answer 12

-The concentration of media ownership meant that a handful of global media companies and moguls ‘Lords of the Global Village’- dominated the worlds mass media, and controlled every step in the information process, from creation to delivery
-5 global firms (Walt Disney, news corp, time Warner, cbs, Viacom) own most media outputs. Gives these corporations more communications power than was exercised by any dictatorship in history

Question 13

Approaches

Answer 13

There are 3 main approaches to the issue of ownership and control and how this affects the content of media….

Question 14

1. Manipulative or instrumentalist approach

Answer 14

-Marxist approach
-Suggests owners directly control media content and manipulate it to spread dominant ideology and protect profits
-Editors and journalists have to run and create media within boundaries of owners to avoid getting sacked. Therefore self-censor work and produced one sided reports

Question 15

1. Curran and seaton

Answer 15

-Suggested media owners did interfere and manipulate newspaper content and journalists had to withhold critics of governments to protect own interests
—Murdoch argued for war in Iraq, all 175 of his newspapers backed this. He’d admitted he was hands on both economically and editorially

Question 16

1. Criticisms

Answer 16

-Audience may not be as gullible and easily manipulated as approach suggests
-Pluarists argue wide range of opinion in media and main aim is to make profit so therefore provide what audiences want not ownsers

Question 17

2. Hegemonic approach

Answer 17

-Neo Marxist approach
-Suggests mass media spread dominant ideology justifying or legitimising power of ruling class
-Recognise power or owners but suggest they rarely have day to day control
-Hegemony, lower class persuaded to accept values and beliefs in ruling class as if they are seeing it in media it becomes normal
-Most journalists are white, middle-class and male and their socialization means they share a similar view to that of the dominant class.

Question 18

2. Agenda setting

Answer 18

When items are routinely and deliberately excluded from reporting

Example: 2011 riots - focus was on damage caused rather than the reasons why they were rioting in the first place.

Question 19

2. Criticisms

Answer 19

-Approach underrates power and influence production owners. Careers are dependent on gaining approval of their stories from editors
-Agenda setting and gatekeeping mean audiences audiences have little choice of content. Suggests a direct manipulation of audiences which overlaps with the manipulative or instrumentalist approach.

Question 20

3. Pluarist approach

Answer 20

-Instead of ownership concentration, pluralists believe there is a wide variety of media available from a wide variety of sources and owners.
-There is no monopoly of power but power spread across a variety of competing interest groups and individuals
-Media driven by profit not by control
-Wide range of media products therefore reflect wide range of views
-Consumer choice

Question 21

3. Criticisms

Answer 21

-Media owners appoint editors who have been known to be sacked if don’t cooperate. Allows control, of them. Therefore share same views as owners
-Only rich groups have resources to launch media companies therefore no lower class groups represented
-Hegemonic theorists argue people have been socialized by the media into the belief that they are being provided with what they want

Question 22

Feminist perspective

Answer 22

-Argue majority of owners, editors and journalists are males
-Believe it is therefore biased to males
-Therefpre media is patriarchal
-Women in media face glass ceiling where they are unable to get the top jobs that have any control over media

Question 23

Formal controls of media: law

Answer 23

Main legal limits are:
-Laws of libel, prevent publication of an untrue statement about a person which may bring about ridicule or hostility
-Official secrets act, criminal to report any government activity which government classes as secret without authority
-Equality act, forbid opinions which will encourage hatred or discrimination against ppl due to ethnicity or religion

Question 24

Government influence and control of media

Answer 24

-Refusal to issue broadcasting licenses to those who deemed unfit and unsuitable
-Journalists who give favourable exposure to government more likely to get preferences such as access to government sources
-Government press conferences and briefings which present government views to media as it is often broadcasted