Ownership & Control of the Media Flashcards
What is vertical integration in media ownership?
When one company owns all stages of media production, e.g., a film studio owning the cinemas where the films are shown.
What is horizontal integration in media ownership?
When one company owns multiple media outlets, e.g., a corporation owning newspapers, TV stations, and radio channels.
What is synergy in media ownership?
When a media company produces and promotes the same product across multiple platforms, e.g., a movie, its soundtrack, and a video game.
What is technological convergence?
When one device can access multiple forms of media, such as smartphones allowing access to TV, radio, and the internet.
What is global conglomeration?
When a company acquires other companies worldwide, operating on a multinational scale.
What is the pluralist perspective on media ownership?
Pluralists argue that media ownership is diverse and competitive, reflecting audience demands and allowing multiple viewpoints.
What does Whale (1997) argue about pluralism?
Whale suggests that competition in the media ensures a healthy range of viewpoints as consumers can choose what they engage with.
What does Levene (2007) argue in support of pluralism?
Levene argues that increasing media choice allows audiences to challenge dominant narratives, making control by any single group difficult.
What do pluralists say about audience power?
They argue that the audience drives content since media owners prioritize profit and will cater to public demand.
What is Curran & Seaton’s view on pluralism?
Curran & Seaton acknowledge that the internet creates new opportunities for diversity and democratic participation, despite challenges in regulation.
What is the Marxist view on media ownership?
Marxists argue that the media is owned by the ruling class, who use it to spread ideology that maintains their power and suppresses the working class.
What does Miliband (1979) say about media ownership?
Miliband claims that media owners share cultural and social networks, ensuring that the media supports ruling-class interests and excludes oppositional views.
What does Cornford & Robins (1999) argue about control in new media?
They argue that new media doesn’t give control to individuals, as corporations ultimately dominate it through censorship and manipulation.
How does Marxism view the ideological functions of media?
The media promotes ruling-class interests, reinforces myths like meritocracy, distracts the working class with entertainment, and portrays the working class negatively, such as stereotyping immigrants.
What is the neo-Marxist view on media ownership?
Neo-Marxists believe that the media reflects ruling-class views due to cultural hegemony, with journalists unconsciously reproducing dominant ideologies.
What does Gramsci argue about cultural hegemony?
Gramsci argues that ruling-class ideas dominate society because they are presented as normal and widely accepted, justifying capitalism.
What did the Glasgow Media Group (GMC) find about journalists?
GMC discovered that journalists, often white, male, and middle-class, reflect dominant ideologies due to shared social backgrounds.
What does Althusser (1971) contribute to neo-Marxist thought?
Althusser describes media as an ideological state apparatus that subtly reinforces capitalist ideologies, shaping beliefs and norms.
What are criticisms of the pluralist perspective?
Critics argue that owners still control hiring and firing, which can shape content; most media owners and editors come from elite backgrounds, skewing perspectives; and media often serves elite interests despite claims of diversity.
What are criticisms of the Marxist perspective?
Critics argue that Marxists overemphasize ownership and ignore audience agency; pluralists highlight that profit motives lead to diverse content, not just ruling-class ideology; and new media enables audiences to challenge traditional narratives.
What are criticisms of the neo-Marxist perspective?
Critics argue that neo-Marxists underestimate owner influence, such as hiring compliant editors; they fail to account for the decentralizing effects of new media; and pluralists suggest audiences actively interpret and critique media, reducing ideological control.
