Information is the currency of democracy, said Thomas Jefferson. He and the founding fathers reasoned that an informed citizenry is crucial to the functioning of democracy. A pluralism of views and a multiplicity of perspectives contribute to a diverse and vital civil society. What happens when information is monopolized by a handful of giant corporations? The interests and concerns of Wall Street and Madison Avenue supersede those of the people.

Ben Bagdikian
Ben Bagdikian is the winner of almost every top prize in American journalism, including the Pulitzer. He is the former dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley. He is one of the most respected media critics in the country and has been a reporter and editor for more than thirty years. The New York Times has called him "an exemplar to a generation of journalists." His landmark book "The Media Monopoly" is now revised and updated with seven new chapters and retitled "The New Media Monopoly."