Ownership of the mass media
- Created by: shanisep10
- Created on: 09-04-14 13:56
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- Ownership of the Mass Media
- Neo-Marixism
- Owners of the media rarely have direct control of the content of the media - left to managers and journalists
- Media managers and journalists need to attract audiences as well as keep owners happy. Content critical of the dominant ideology sometimes helps attract audiences, and some occasional criticism maintains a pretence of objective, unbiased reporting
- Hegemony -developed by Gramsci refersto the idea thatthe spread of dominant ideology of the ruling class - other social classes are persuaded to accept the values andbeliefs as reasonable and normal and become common sense accepted and consented by the rest of society
- Journalists generally support the dominant ideology - share similar views - most are white middle class males - dominant ideology generates a consensus for what is worthy, good and right for all
- Common-sense approach shared by journalists mean the audience is exposed to a limited range of opinions - mostly dominant ideology - becomes only reasonable and sensible view of the world
- Hegemony of ruling ideas is maintained
- Evaluation
- Strengths
- Recognises owners often not involved in day-to-day running
- Recognises managers, editors and journalists have some professional independence
- Recognises can be range of content to attract audiences - some critical of dominant ideology - however journalists are socialised into culture of dominant ideology being reasonable explanation
- Weaknesses
- Underrates power and influence of owners.
- Agenda setting and gate keeping mean some items are deliberately excluded - encouraged to think of some events then others - produced within a framework of dominant ideology - direct manipulation
- Journalists news values - biased
- Strengths
- Pluralist
- Suggest no dominant ruling class - just competing groups with different interests
- Owners do not have direct control
- Media content driven by audience figures and search for profits - media show whatever satisfies audiences
- Media generally free of government or direct owner control - audience free to pick what they want to see
- Journalists write using news values - reflecting interests of audiences - bias sample reflects what audience wants
- Evaluation
- Strengths
- Wide range of newspapers - includes those challenging dominant ideology
- Diversity enables investigative reporting - can challenge dominant class
- Mass media fight for audiences - competition with companies
- Weaknesses
- Media workers have contraints placed on them by owners
- Owners strongly influence who is appointed at senior levels
- Pressure to attract audiences doesn't increase media choice - restricts it - decline in quality
- Strengths
- Marxist
- Owners have direct control over content - can interfere
- Use media to spread dominant ideology - justify powers of ruling class
- Journalists need to defend jobs - therefore produce biased reports
- Audience assumed to be passive - 'robots' - fed on dumbed-down content - stops people focusing on serious issues or favour dominant class
- Evaluation
- Weaknesses
- Pluralists argue large range of conent
- State regulates ownership - law to report news impartially - can't produce biased news
- Audiences not gullible - can accept/reject views depending on own views
- Strengths
- Evidence owners interfere - Rupert Murdoch - war with Iraq
- Ownership highly concentrated
- Journalists do depend on owners for careers
- Weaknesses
- Neo-Marixism
- Recognises owners often not involved in day-to-day running
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