hegemonic views of media ownership

Question 1

hegemony is a by-product of the question for profit

Answer 1

GUMG - journalists tend to believe in middle-of-the-road views - journalists tend to ridicule any alternative views outside of media consensus to appeal to majority of audience - motivated by profit

transmission of capitalist ideology happens subsequently

attract advertising - more profit
must play it safe by excluding anything that may upset audience

Question 2

hegemony is a by-product of the question for profit - eval

Answer 2

strength
- GUMG’s analysis clearly evidence for hegemonic marxist view - owners do set agenda - editors rarely disagree with ideology of owners because from similar economic backgrouns

limitation
- hegemonic marxists are vague about what constitutes hegemonic - difficult to operationalise so lacks validity

Question 3

agenda setting

Answer 3

result of privileged journalistic consensus - media decides what issues should be discussed - agenda setting

GUMG - media present a very narrow agenda for discussion eg women’s body shape but not class inequalities
so ordinary people never question capitalist society

agenda setting leads to cultural hegemony - basic principles of capitalism eg profit and free market presented by media as normal and natural

Question 4

agenda setting eval

Answer 4

strengths
- GUMG - miners strike 1980s - journalists can set agenda so public don’t turn against elite - violent riots rather than cause of riots
- media coverage before general elections - example of agenda setting eg only two parties in news rarely hear of others eg green and lib dems

limitations
- feminists - media is largely owned and controlled by men, agenda-setting is a patriarchal exercise that serves to limit women’s role in media production and content

Question 5

the establishment

Answer 5

Owen Jones - media owners, editors and journalists are part of the establishment
- an alliance of powerful groups bound together by common economic interests and shared set of mentalities

• it should be the job of the british media to criticise the establishment but they are part of it
• journalists turn blind eye to the establishment and vilify poor and ethnic minorities - maximise profits and vast majority of readers and vilified

Question 6

the establishment eval

Answer 6

strength
- miliburn report - journalism has shifted to a greater degree of social exclusivity than any other profession

limitations
- difficult to see difference between the instrumental marxist focus on manipulating and hegemonic marxist focus on agenda setting
- new media and citizen journalism - potential to counter the influence of traditional establishment that Jones identifies
- journalists can develop critical views - can attempt to attract audiences eg government corruption