Corporate Media & the Threat to Democracy
“Information,” Jefferson told us, “is the currency of democracy.” What is the impact on democracy when currency is owned, printed, packaged and distributed by a handful of megacorporations? Corporate control of media is at unprecedented levels. Bottom-line considerations dumb down the news and narrow the range of opinion. Politically, the powerful broadcasting lobby pretty much gets what it wants. Conservative New York Times columnist William Safire decried “the giveaway of our digital spectrum” to the media moguls.
Speaker
Robert McChesney
Robert McChesney was a leading media historian and public intellectual. He was a professor at the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and later was the Gutgsell Endowed Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. He was co-founder of Free Press, a non-profit organization working to increase public participation in media policy debates. His work focused on the role of journalism and democracy in a capitalist system. An activist scholar, he was a champion of independent progressive media. Noam Chomsky said, “Robert McChesney’s work has been of extraordinary importance. It should be read with care and concern by people who care about freedom and basic rights.” A prolific author, among his many books are Rich Media, Poor Democracy, Blowing the Roof off the Twenty-First Century, and Digital Disconnect. He is co-author with John Nichols of Dollarocracy and People Get Ready. Robert McChesney passed away in late March 2025.
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