Theories of Ownership and Control LT3*

Question 1

Pluralism and the mass media

Answer 1

seen as essential component of this democratic ideal because most people get knowledge about politics from media.
Arguing that owners are objective, responsible and impartial

Question 2

The economics of media ownership

Answer 2

behaviour of media owners is constrained by the market in a free market economy owners compete against each other

Question 3

Concentration of ownership pluralist

Answer 3

Aimed at the maximisation of audience size in order to reduce costs and to attract advertising revenue

Question 4

How do owners reduce cost?

Answer 4

Vertical and horizontal integration as well as synergy

Question 5

What do pluralist argue about owners?

Answer 5

Practically impossible for owners to interfere in the content due to their business being economically too complex

Question 6

Media as a democratic mirror

Answer 6

Range of media products available is extremely diverse and that, as a result all points of view are catered for.
Media merely mirrors what the audience wants to see

Question 7

Example of Media as a democratic mirror

Answer 7

Majority of newspapers raise concerns about Jeremy Corbyn refusing to push the nuclear button. Arguing merely mirrors the concern of the majority of citizen

Question 8

Public service broadcasting (PSB)

Answer 8

Impartial and which cater for every conceivable taste and opinion counterbalancing potential bias which has significant shares in UK media market

Question 9

State controls

Answer 9

pluralist argue media is also restricted by state and government control
e.g. UK ofcom

Question 10

Ofcom

Answer 10

function to monitor the content and quality of TV and radio and to investigate viewers and listen to complaints

Answer 11

Combination of audience and regulator prevents media ownership imposing biased content

Question 12

Media professionalism

Answer 12

professionalism of journalists and editor, arguing that editors would never allow owners to compromise their independence

Question 13

Marxism and the mass media

Answer 13

Capitalist system in the UK is deeply unfair because it generally benefits the minority over the majority

Question 14

The structure of the media and profit

Answer 14

Miliband suggests owners directly control media content and manipulate that content and media audience to protect profits

Answer 15

Journalists have little choice other than to run the media in the boundaries set down by owners

Question 16

The media and ideologies

Answer 16

Miliband suggest owners directly control media content and manipulate that content and media audience to spread dominant ideology

Question 17

What has agenda setting and gate keeping lead to?

Answer 17

A mass undemanding , trivial and uncritical content being pushed onto the subject which stops the masses from concentrating on serious issues

Question 18

Evidence for the ideological nature of owership and control

Answer 18

Curran and Seaton (2010): found evidence suggesting media owners did interfere and manipulate newspaper content to protect their own interests.

Question 19

Example of ownership control

Answer 19

Rupert Murdoch (news corporation) argued strongly in interviews for a war in Iraq. Coincidence that all 175 newspaper backed same idea

Question 20

The Leveson inquiry

Answer 20

Uncovered a range of links between media owners and governments with the media support given to political parties in return for government policies favourable to interest owners

Question 21

Neo marxists and mass media
(GUMG)

Answer 21

The media content does support the interests of those who run the capitalist system but this hegemony is an accidental by product of the social background of journalist

Question 22

What does Sutton Trust report suggest?

Answer 22

Found that over 50% of the top 100 journalists in the UK were educated private schools

Question 23

Economic pressures

Answer 23

GUMG argues that journalistic desire not to rock the boat is mainly motivated by profits rather than a desire to transmit capitalist ideology.

Question 24

Curran

Answer 24

Best journalists are now only a moderating influence. Compliancy with the ethos of the owner is more likely to get a position

Question 25

Agenda setting (GUMG)

Answer 25

Media decide what issues should be discussed by society and which should be avoided. argues media presented a narrow discussion.

Question 26

The media and the Establishment

Answer 26

Jones (2015) Sees media as part of a ‘Establishment’ which is an alliance of powerful groups bound together with common interests.

Question 27

What do journalists in turn to Establishment?

Answer 27

Turned a blind eye to the Establishment and instead critically attack the behaviour of the poor, unemployed and immigrates. deflect attention way from powerful.