MEDIA - What is the Hegemonic View of the Media?

Question 1

What is the definition of Dual Consciousness?

Answer 1

Being aware of inequality, but not doing anything about it!

Question 2

What Sociologist identified the term ‘Dual Consciousness’?

Answer 2

Gramsci!

Question 3

What is the definition of Economic Reductionists?

Answer 3

Everything is about the economy and nothing else!

Question 4

What is the definition of Anecdotal?

Answer 4

Informal ideas, like a feeling; not proven with evidence!

Question 5

What is the definition of GMG?

Answer 5

Glasgow University Media Group - They research into the media

Question 6

In terms of the Hegemonic View of Media Ownership, what do Hegemonic Marxists argue?

Answer 6

The GUMG argue that the media content does support the interests of those who run the capitalist system by this hegemony is an ACCIDENT, due to the BACKGROUNDS OF the EDITORS and JOURNALISTS!

Question 7

What did the Sutton Trust (2012) identify?

Answer 7

They identified that over 1/2 of the top 100 journalists were educated privately!

Question 8

What percentage of the population are educated privately?

Answer 8

Around 7%!

Question 9

What is the key phrase to remember for Hegemonic Marxism and what does this mean? HINT: ‘Middle of the Road’

Answer 9

They argue that journalists take a ‘middle of the road’ approach in their journalism = They say that radical views were ridiculed as they want to promote what the majority of the population believe, in order for profit motives.

Question 10

What is the definition of News Values?

Answer 10

These are the values and assumptions held by editors and journalists which guide them in choosing what is ‘newsworthy’!

Question 11

What is the definition of Newsworthy?

Answer 11

What journalists choose to report and what to leave out, and how what they choose to report should be presented, in order to appeal to the masses and make the most money.

Question 12

What are the 3 Topics that we look into regarding Hegemonic Marxism?

Answer 12

• Economic Pressures
• Agenda Setting
• The Establishment

Question 13

Explain what Economic Pressures mean!

Answer 13

Economic pressures are where journalists are motivated by earning profit and not by spreading the hegemonic ideology.

Question 14

(ECONOMIC PRESSURES) What type of content do journalists choose to avoid uploading and why?

Answer 14

When publishing adverts, they avoid touching on sensitive subjects that may result in putting people off reading their newspaper. Avoiding the topics allows there to be no risk that they will lose money or profit and sales and is the prime reason it happens.

Question 15

(ECONOMIC PRESSURES) Explain what term is used to describe the approach taken by editors and journalists! HINT: ‘Play it safe’

Answer 15

As a result of this, editors ‘play it safe’ through the use of their news values, so they do not lose out on sales by loss of audience.

Question 16

Explain what Agenda-Setting is!

Answer 16

Agenda-setting is where the middle class journalists’ consensus and background decides what issues / topics should be discussed in the media and, in turn, society talks about these issues and avoid others which are not spoken about in the mainstream media.

Question 17

(AGENDA-SETTING) What do Feminists say that happens as a result of Agenda-Setting?

Answer 17

Feminists argue that the lack of female-dominated and just lack of women in general in the media industry means that less light is shed towards issues that would topple the patriarchy, such as domestic violence and the role of men in oppressing women.

Question 18

(AGENDA-SETTING) What do the GUMG argue regarding the narrow agenda set by middle-class journalists?

Answer 18

The GUMG argues that this allows for a fairly narrow agenda to be discussed, which means that ordinary (non-middle class) members of the public never question the workings of a capitalist society and we are not presented with really important information that could help people decide how society should be run (maintaining the false class consciousness).

Question 19

What is the ‘Establishment’? Who does JONES say that the ‘Establishment’ are, in regards to the Media?

Answer 19

The dominant social group in society! The elite who control a policy, a party, an organisation or an institution!

In terms of the media, this consists of media owners, editors and journalists.

Question 19

(ESTABLISHMENT) Describe Jones’ view regarding the ‘alliance’ in the ‘Establishment’! HINT: Money!

Answer 19

Jones described the ‘Establishment’ as an alliance of unaccountable powerful groups “bound together by common economic interests and a shared set of mentalities”. –> They are bound together because of their interests in MONEY!

Question 20

(ESTABLISHMENT) How do the ‘Establishment’ maintain and reinforce their control?

Answer 20

Because they want to protect their dominant position in society, they gate-keep topics that threaten their interests, via agenda settings, such as evidence of people attacking the system (as seen with BLM protests)!

Question 21

(ESTABLISHMENT) TRUE OR FALSE: Jones says that it is NOT the job of the media to scrutinise the activities of the ‘Establishment’?

Answer 21

FALSE = Jones says that it SHOULD BE the job of the media to scrutinise the activities of the ‘Establishment’.

HOWEVER = Jones says that this is hard as “The British media is an integral part of the British Establishment –> This means that the owners often share the same ideology as those in power, as seen with Blair and Murdoch regarding Europe!

Question 22

How is the Hegemonic Marxists’ View regarding ‘Economic Pressures’ DIFFERENT from the Instrumental Marxist’s View?

Answer 22

This is different from the Instrumentalist Marxists as it proves the reason for avoiding controversial ideas is not due to capitalism and wanting to follows and preach the dominant ideology; it is due to costs and profits. This is why they avoid topics that are not seen as ‘newsworthy’ and may be seen as sensitive.

Question 23

How is the Hegemonic Marxists’ View regarding ‘Economic Pressures’ SIMILAR to Pluralism?

Answer 23

This is similar to the Pluralists, who say that the media content and newspapers are driven by costs.

Question 24

How is the Hegemonic Marxists’ View regarding ‘Agenda-Setting’ DIFFERENT to Pluralism?

Answer 24

This is different to Pluralists who say that the consumer gets to choose what is realised to them and what media they consume, due to them being in control; they can decide what agenda to set by choosing to support one newspaper and not another one.

Question 25

How is the Hegemonic Marxists’ View regarding ‘Agenda-Setting’ DIFFERENT to the Traditional Marxists’ View?

Answer 25

Traditional Marxists and Hegemonic Marxists are very similar.

However, Traditional Marxists say that the capitalists in power PURPOSELY, via the ISA, do it, but Hegemonic Marxists say that it is NOT INTENTIONAL, but it is because of the background of the middle class journalists. However, the outcome is still the same!

Question 26

How is the Hegemonic Marxists’ View regarding ‘The Establishment’ SIMILAR to the Traditional Marxists’ View?

Answer 26

This is similar to the Instrumental Marxists, as according to Curran, there is strong evidence for owner manipulation and interference in UK newspapers. This view also states that media owners oversee and change articles in order to choose what they think is newsworthy.

Question 27

What are the 5 Evaluating Points regarding the Hegemonic Marxist View of the Media? HINT: Do not worry if you cannot get all of them; just try to remember a couple!

Answer 27

• One criticism is that the Hegemonic Marxist view is that they are vague on their definition of what an ‘ideology’ is and they also do not in depthly describe the impact that an ideology or set ideas can have on groups that have little to no power.
• The idea that media owners have little to no input into media production is unrealistic, as seen with the influence of Rupert Murdoch in corrupting journalists’ news values.
• Critics would argue that, whilst Traditional Marxism focuses on the manipulation of the media, Hegemonic Marxists focus on the use of agenda-setting to create a homogeneous media outlet and the role of the media in the Establishment, as seen with the influence of Murdoch and his paper ‘The Sun’, especially in backing political candidates for elections, as seen with Tony Blair in 1997 (‘The Sun Backs Blair’)!
• Hegemonic Marxism ignores the view regarding gender that the use of agenda-setting helps to keep the patriarchy in power; many media conglomerates are owned and controlled by men, which limits women’s roles in media production the topics of media.
• The emergence of the New Media and the status that individuals have as ‘citizens journalists’ as having countered / limited the influence of establishment-oriented control. However, as Traditional Marxists would say, most of these ‘opposing ideas’ to the Establishment are dismissed, shut down or attacked, as seen with Julian Assange!