Break Up the Media Monopolies
Concentration of any industry is dangerous but media concentration is particularly dangerous because of the vast influence media exert in shaping public opinion. Years ago, legendary journalist and media critic Ben Bagdikian warned of the dangers posed by media monopolies. Those warnings have been borne out. A handful of mega corporations from Comcast to Disney dominate the media. As Bagdikian predicted, corporate business interests would trump journalism, particularly investigative journalism which is costly thus cutting into profits. Lack of competition allows the conglomerates to raise prices. Have you looked at your cable bill lately? Furthermore, a vibrant democracy is ill-served by a corporate media that is heavily connected to and reliant on official sources. An informed citizenry is essential for the communications needs of a democratic society. Media monopolies should be broken up.
Speaker
Jeff Cohen
Jeff Cohen founded Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) , the New York-based media watch group in 1986. He was founding director of the Park Center for Independent Media at Ithaca College, where he was an associate professor of journalism.
Anthony in NM –
Bravo for the Jeff Cohen Break Up the Media Monopolies program. I listen to AR on KUNM.
Lisa –
Informal & rich! Learned so much. Thanks!
Fred Sowder –
It was great to see this talk in person and record it for Alternative Radio!
Diana Duke –
I will be purchasing this pdf. I listen to NPR and watch PBS but often question some of their stances. Of course, I will still listen to them but Jeff Cohen is correct….How can media report with fairness when they rely on corporate funding. Even NPR and PBS rely on corporate underwriting.
Jeff Cohen also mentioned the reporting on Bernie Sanders during the 2020 elections. I was very disappointed with the way that NPR treated Bernie in interviews, and in the stories that they highlighted during the 2020 elections. I wrote several times to NPR but never got a response, and I guess my support can not compare to corporate funding. Jeff Cohen pointed out that independent media such as Democracy Now and Alternative Radio are better options. I will seek to find independent media groups that do not accept corporate funding. Thank you, Alternative Radio.