MEDIA - ownership and control Flashcards
Marxists believe that…
The concentration of media ownership is inherently dangerous
(as capitalist ideals are being transmitted more intensely)
Media professionalism
The idea that concentration of ownership is bad is criticised by many sociologists
- Just because one corporation owns many outlets, doesn’t mean it
turns into a giant brainwashing machine with all employees also
brainwashed.
- Individual companies and individuals within corporations have
agency to speak, write and edit how they want. This is part of
journalistic professionalism
MEDIA AUDIENCES - ACTIVE?
Even if journalists abandoned their professionalism, and started
writing just what their bosses told them to write, the audience
don’t passively believe everything and can be critical and
selective
Public broadcaster example
THE BBC ( Pluralists point out that Public Service Broadcasting
is still popular and owned by the public)
pluralists say that Publice service broadcasting systems are
impartial
Marxists believe that the government
can override some of which factors
- active media audiences
- Media professionalism
- impartial Publice service broadcasting systems
STATE CONTROLS
The state can have huge power in relationship to the media. Depending on the government and people in power, the media can be changed drastically:
● The state can put controls on what media companies can do/own
● The state can control the content media companies put out
examples of state control
Strong censorship during dictatorships , right now North Korea for example
what Marxists think
happens through the media
The role of Ideology
The role of Ideology
Marxists believe that the media creates false class-consciousness, through which the W/C believe that meritocracy exists and society is fair.
Disney and the role of ideology
(The guardian article)
Study by socs at Duke University : Class stereotypes reinforced by Disney’s biggest 🎬 = introducing young viewers to a life of ✅ their status, until their own hard work pulls them ← of poverty.
- 👀 that only 4% of the primary characters across the films could be classed as “poor
- Cartoons depicted diligence and 💪 spirit as the 🔑 indicators of social mobility
- “Being poor ❌ a big deal. Being working class makes you 😊. Anyone who wants to get ahead, and is ambitious and is a 👍 person, can do so. And the rich happily provide for everyone else”
- Studies have shown that by the time kids are 12, they have internalised a lot of American ideas about class = poor people are lazy, & rich people are 🤓 and 💪working
- Parents don’t really like talking to their kids about class, so I thought that the movies these kids watch are how they get their ideas on class.”
The media and ideology : MILIBAND (1973)
Conservative and conformist ideology
comes across as fact in the media
The media and ideology : Tunstall and Palmer (1991)
Government not interested in
controlling media because of ‘regulatory favours’
Regulatory favours (example)
1) SITUATION: 1 of Rupert Murdoch’s papers publishes an article that the conservative party don’t like.
2) The Conservatives could then set about creating restrictions, or penalising Murdoch
3) Murdoch’s papers turn against the
Conservatives which would see them lose power
Ownership and control 3 key approaches
1) The manipulative approach (aka instrumental approach) - Assoc. w
with traditional Marxism
2) The hegemonic approach - Assoc. w neo-Marxism
3) The pluralist approach - Assoc. w pluralism (obviously)
Manipulative approach associated with
traditional marxism
Manipulative approach (role of owners)
Directly control and manipulate the content & audiences, to protect their profits and spread the dominant ideology
Manipulative approach (Media editors and managers)
have little choice but to run the media within the
boundaries set by the owner
How does the Manipulative approach see the audience
as passive - a mass of easily
manipulated, unthinking and uncritical robots
Manipulative approach - EVAN argues…
Media moguls such as Murdoch undermine editorial independence and press editorial staff to adopt the same right-wing, conservative views as the moguls
The Hegemonic approach (role of media owners)
Although they have powerful influence, they rarely have day-to-day control of the media content, which is left in the hands of editors and journalists.
The Hegemonic approach (role of staff)
have some independence, but still support the dominant ideology by choice, not because they are manipulated into doing so.
The GMG state (Hegemonic approach)
most journalists tend to be white, middle-class and male, therefore share the same views as the dominant
class.
Media managers and journalists do not want to upset… (Hegemonic approach)
owners, but also need to attract audiences and advertisers
