Corporate Influence on the Media Industry

          The media is unquestionably a driving force in our society. It influences our culture and our attitudes. But who influences the media? This blog will focus on mainstream media and corporate media. Through the internet we are exposed to all sorts of media from independent sources and otherwise, but our society as a whole cannot escape the multinational companies who feed us information every day.

          I found a very interesting website that explains all the connections that can be made between corporations. You can see their associates and even who donated what to whose political campaign. It shows very simply the way that our news and entertainment are intertwined with our governing body.  Here is a video that talks about the disconnect between public opinion and leaders and what the media has to do with it.

          When very rich and well-invested people own our media, the ideas portrayed in our media are ripe with ulterior motives. I’m not saying that the evening news is full of subliminal messages. I’m just saying that we need to remember who is in charge and what their interests are. These are very powerful people and they didn’t get where they are by relinquishing control of their circumstances. Manipulation is their job. If it is in their best interest for one political candidate wins the election, they will do everything in their power to make it happen. It is most certainly a threat to the democratic process but if you can take a step back and be critical of the information you hear you are reducing the threat. With the internet it’s easy to do some research and look at a great variety of sources. Most of these will be bias but if you learn to be properly critical and seek out differing opinions you can usually find a good overview of the issue.

          Recently we have seen a new type of media that has emerged. Spearheaded by Wikileaks, this radical transparency movement has spurred debate about the ethics of journalism. We have to decide how transparent we expect our governments to be. How far should media go to expose their misconduct? In an ideal world they would have nothing to hide. Unfortunately that is not the case. Maybe if they will clean up their act if they are being watched, maybe not. What happens then? Who’s going to pay for the damage to foreign relations? Hint: probably not the rich CEOs. This issue has roots in the Watergate scandal where the people had to decide how much they would let their leaders could get away with.  It causes us to analyze what we hear and take the time to think about the power of information. Through the release of these top-secret documents we are witnessing first hand the influence media can have on politics and foreign policy.

Cartoon from "Farther Off
The Wall" Blog

        Already the leaks have resulted in diplomats having to leave their positions. This is minor when you look at the potential these documents have to change how countries interact with each other. The leaks can be good and bad. On the one hand, it can make the people hungry for positive change. On the other, governmental organizations may stigmatized and can no longer do their jobs effectively. Critics of the organization believe that Wikileaks is doing the world great disservice by compromising national security with no real reason to do so. They have not actually uncovered anything that is cause for reform. I think most people who are on board with Wikileaks just like the idea of transparency, and are reluctant to admit that some things are classified for a reason.

             It’s unfortunate that the majority of our news is controlled but we can always be thankful for the internet and the human ability to think critically. Corporations have a large influence on all aspects of our lives but we shouldn’t sit by and take it all in without questioning. We have to be responsible consumers of information as well as products. In an ideal world we won’t have to seek out the truth but for now that’s where we stand. Transparency is something to work towards and will only work properly with cooperation from all parties.