As the companies duel, countries and communities often find themselves in the crossfire. Like all conflicts, the media war leaves a trail of victims and marginalised peoples.

— Danny Schechter, Chapter 2, Peace Journalism and Media War: the Fight to Reform Journalism, What Are Journalists For?, presented on the Conflict and Peace Forums, September, 1998

What suffers in the atmosphere of immediacy is analysis. What suffers in this search for speed is depth. The media in the wealthy world are becoming increasingly simplistic, superficial, and celebrity-focused.

— Laurie Garrett, You Just Signed His Death Warrant: AIDS Politics and the Journalists’ Role, Columbia Journalism Review, November/December 2000

Media Conglomerates, Mergers, Concentration of Ownership

Some nations can influence and control their media greatly. In addition, powerful corporations are becoming major influences on mainstream media. In some places major multinational corporations own media stations and outlets. Moreover, even as numbers of media outlets increase, the ownership is becoming ever more concentrated as mega mergers take hold. At the same time, vertical integration gives the big players even more avenues to cross-sell and cross-market their products for even more amazing profits. An effect of this though is a reduction in diversity and depth of content that the public can get, while increasing the political and economic power of corporations and advertisers. An informed population is crucial element to a functioning democracy. Last updated Sunday, April 29, 2007.

Read article: Media Conglomerates, Mergers, Concentration of Ownership

Media and Advertising

As advertising becomes more important for businesses, larger companies are able to spend more and more on sophisticated ways to make us buy their products. Advertisers also exert direct and indirect influence on the media companies and their content in order to foster moods and cultures where consumers are more likely to buy their products. As a consequence, dumbing down of content is not uncommon. Media companies sell consumers to their customers, the advertisers, that bring in the money that allows media companies to survive. Market pressures therefore affect content further. Globalization also has an impact on advertising and consumerism. Last updated Saturday, January 26, 2008.

Read article: Media and Advertising

Large, Corporate-Owned Media are "Free" Trade Proponents

Large, corporate-owned media are free trade proponents. However, as described in the free trade section of this web site, the actual way in which the current form of overly corporate oriented free trade has been carried out, compared to the theories and idea, is an area of much discussion and warranted criticism. As a consequence, the coverage of alternative views and critique has been either avoided, or almost ignored, because the same international free trade system benefits the large media companies that are also global. Diverse views are therefore not expressed and not available for most people. Last updated Saturday, January 26, 2002.

Read article: Large, Corporate-Owned Media are "Free" Trade Proponents

Some Examples

This section introduces some different types of examples of corporate influence on or in the media. Last updated Sunday, December 26, 2004.

Read article: Some Examples

Site Information Links

• Top of Page
• Home
• About This Site
• Privacy
• Site Map

Main Section Links

• Human Rights
• Geopolitics
• Trade & Poverty
• Environment

“Bad ideas flourish because they are in the interest of powerful groups.” — Paul Krugman

© Copyright 1998–2008