Mass Media: Ownership and Control - Marxist - Flashcards in A Level and IB Sociology

1. Who stated that the media creates a climate of conformity among the mass of the population which justifies the rule of the rich and powerful and leads to a state of false class consciousness - ideas that challenge/threaten ideology ignored?

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audience assumed to be passive - mass of unthinking and uncritical robots - this audience exposed to limited range of options and manipulated through biased reports - dumbed down content diverts focus from serious issues
journalists depend for job on supporting interests of owners, reports of journalists biased - ideas/groups that threaten status quo attacked, ridiculed/ignored
owners use the media to spread ideas which justify he power of the dominant class
owners of the media have direct control over the content of media and they can and do interfere in media content
media managers have little choice other than to run the media within the boundaries set down by owners

journalists generally support the ideology share similar view of world to that of dominant class - most journalists white, middle class and male and are socialised into profession values - support dominant ideology
common sense assumptions are shaped by journalists - audience exposed to limited range as options mostly within framework of the dominant ideology
owners of media rarely have direct control over content of media - day to day control of media content left to then hands of managers and journalists
media managers and journalists inevitably influenced by desire not to upset owners and to protect careers - need to attract audiences and adveritisers - artificial content of ideology may attract audiences