Media: Ownership & Control

Question 1

What are the media?

Answer 1

1. Tech involved in communicating with large audiences without personal contact (TV, computers etc)
2. Institutions & organisations concerned with mass communication in which people work, such as press, cinema etc.
3. Products of those institutions such as news, movies; newspapers magazines etc.

Question 3

Traditional & New media

Answer 3

Traditional: mass media that communicated uniform messages in one way, non-interactive process to very large audiences. (ie. BBC & radio), large homogenous audiences.
New: interactive, screen-based digital tech sed for digitalisation & consumption of media, which is individualised. (ie. computers, social media - tiktoks with a wide range of choice).

Question 4

Social media

Answer 4

Group of online applications that are used for social interaction amongst large groups of people.
-Build social networks of friends.
-Can globally share videos, messages etc.

Question 5

The power of the media: Media use (2014)

Answer 5

-96% of homes had digital TV, with an average of 4 hours watched daily.
-77% of households had broadband; 8% had mobile broadband.
-93% of adults owned/used a mobile phone; 61% had smartphones.
-57% of adults used mobile phones to access the internet.
-7.5 million national newspapers sold daily.

Question 6

The power of the media: Bauman (2007) - Info overload

Answer 6

-More information produced in 30 years than in the previous 5,000.
-A single edition of the New York Times contains more information than an 18th-century educated person would consume in a lifetime.

Question 7

The power of the media: Media-saturated society

Answer 7

-Media are key sources of information, entertainment, and leisure.
-They act as important agencies of secondary socialisation.
-Influence individual identity and consumer spending choices.
-Most knowledge and opinions are based on media, not personal experience.

Question 8

The power of the media: Media power & influence

Answer 8

-Media can shape or even construct perceptions of reality.
-They may filter or distort information, obscuring the truth.
-Potential bias in media content due to profit-driven private ownership.
-Possibility of media promoting dominant ideologies that favour the wealthy.
-Media may misrepresent or stereotype certain social groups (e.g., women, ethnic minorities, disabled individuals).

Question 9

Formal controls of the media: OfCom (2003)

Answer 9

-Role is to regulate the media (TV, radio).
-Responsible for furthering interests of consumers, protecting the public from any offensive media & safeguarding people from unfair treatment in TV.
-ie. Love island

Question 10

Formal controls on the media: The law

Answer 10

-Libel Laws – Prevent publishing false statements that damage reputations.
-Official Secrets Act – Bans unauthorized reporting of classified government activities.
-Contempt of Court – Restricts reporting on ongoing trials to ensure fair justice.
-Equality and Hatred Laws – Prohibit media content that incites discrimination or hatred.

These laws limit the media’s ability to report freely while balancing public interest, security, and fairness.

Question 11

Formal controls on the media: The BBC & BBC Trust

Answer 11

-Govt funded through the TV liscense fee (publically funded).
-Partly governed by the Trust & members of this are elected by the king & influenced by the PM.
-Also party governed by OfCom.
-Could influence content by promoting PM’s interests in the media & leading to be party led.