What's Wrong With the News? Independent, aggressive and critical media are essential to an informed democracy. Here are the main 9 Issue Areas as defined by FAIR - Fairness & Accuracy In  Reporting, the national media watch group. 1. Issue Area: Corporate Ownership Almost all media that reach a large audience in the United States are owned by for-profit corporations--institutions that by law are obligated to put the profits of their investors ahead of all other considerations. The goal of maximizing profits is often in conflict with the practice of responsible journalism. Not only are most major media owned by corporations, these companies are becoming larger and fewer in number as the biggest ones absorb their rivals. This concentration of ownership tends to reduce the diversity of media voices and puts great power in the hands of a few companies. As news outlets fall into the hands of large conglomerates with holdings in many industries, conflicts of interest inevitably interfere with newsgathering. FAIR believes that independent media are essential to a democratic society, and that aggressive antitrust action must be taken to break up monopolistic media conglomerates. At the same time, non-corporate, alternative media outlets need to be promoted by both the government and the non-profit sector. 2. Issue Area: Advertiser Influence Most of the income of for-profit media outlets comes not from their audiences, but from commercial advertisers who are interested in selling products to that audience. Although people sometimes defend commercial media by arguing that the market gives people what they want, the fact is that the most important transaction in the media marketplace--the only transaction, in the case of broadcast television and radio--does not involve media companies selling content to audiences, but rather media companies selling audiences to sponsors. This gives corporate sponsors a disproportionate influence over what people get to see or read. Most obviously, they don't want to support media that regularly criticizes their products or discusses corporate wrongdoing. More generally, they would rather support media that puts audiences in a passive, non-critical state of mind - making them easier to sell things to. Advertisers typically find affluent audiences more attractive than poorer ones, and pay a premium for young, white, male consumers - factors that end up skewing the range of content offered to the public. It is becoming harder and harder to escape from the propagandistic effects of advertising. Many students are now forced to watch commercials in school on Channel One. Even supposedly "noncommercial" outlets like PBS and NPR run ads-euphemistically known as "underwriter announcements." FAIR believes that commercial advertising should be taxed, with the proceeds earmarked to fund truly noncommercial media. 3. Issue Area: Official Agendas Despite the claims that the press has an adversarial relationship with the government, in truth U.S. media generally follow Washington's official line. This is particularly obvious in wartime and in foreign policy coverage, but even with domestic controversies, the spectrum of debate usually falls in the relatively narrow range between the leadership of the Democratic and Republican parties. The owners and managers of dominant media outlets generally share the background, worldview and income bracket of political elites. Top news executives and celebrity reporters frequently socialize with government officials. The most powerful media companies routinely make large contributions to both major political parties, while receiving millions of dollars in return in the form of payments for running political ads. In this incestuous culture, "news" is defined chiefly as the actions and statements of people in power. Reporters, dependent on "access" and leaks provided by official sources, are too often unwilling to risk alienating these sources with truly critical coverage. Nor are corporate media outlets interested in angering the elected and bureaucratic officials who have the power to regulate their businesses. 4. Issue Area: Telecom Policy The United States' original communications policy is the 1st Amendment. Freedom of the press was guaranteed in the Constitution because an exchange of information and an unfettered debate were considered essential components of a democratic society. Today, however, government policy is designed less to facilitate a democratic discussion than to protect the investments of media corporations. Regulations tend to promote the formation of huge media conglomerates and discourage new, competing voices. 5. Issue Area: PR Industry The drive to maximize profits compels corporate news outlets to produce more and more news with fewer and fewer reporters. With less time to do each story, journalists are increasingly pressured to rely on the public relations industry to do much of their work for them: Reporters can rewrite press releases rather than do their own independent research, and TV stations can broadcast promotional videos that are designed to look like news footage. This symbiotic relationship between news outlets and the industries they cover, however, is a bad deal for the public. 6. Issue Area: Pressure Groups While institutional pressures are enough to keep most journalists from straying from the conventional wisdom, pressure groups stand ready to punish the exceptional reporter who challenges the official agenda. FAIR believes that grassroots activism around media issues is legitimate and indeed essential. When does an activist group become a pressure group? A pressure group is more concerned with suppressing viewpoints that it disagrees with than ensuring that a wide range of perspectives is available. Since pressure groups are often funded by companies or industries whose interests they promote, these groups often push ideologies that are already well-represented in media debates. 7. Issue Area: Narrow Range of Debate Given that most media outlets are owned by for-profit corporations and are funded by corporate advertising, it is not surprising that they seldom provide a full range of debate. The right edge of discussion is usually represented by a committed supporter of right-wing causes, someone who calls for significantly changing the status quo in a conservative direction. The left edge, by contrast, is often represented by an establishment-oriented centrist who supports maintaining the status quo; very rarely is a critic of corporate power who identifies with progressive causes and movements with the same passion as their conservative counterparts allowed to take part in mass media debates. 8. Issue Area: Censorship Since governments almost always have an interest in controlling the free flow of information, official censorship is something that must be constantly guarded against. In our society, however, large corporations are a more common source of censorship than governments: Media outlets killing stories because they undermine corporate interests; advertisers using their financial clout to squelch negative reports; powerful businesses using the threat of expensive lawsuits to discourage legitimate investigations. The most frequent form of censorship is self-censorship: Journalists deciding not to pursue certain stories that they know will be unpopular with the boss. 9. Issue Area: Sensationalism Profit-driven news organizations are under great pressure to boost ratings by sensationalizing the news: focusing attention on lurid, highly emotional stories, often featuring a bizarre cast of characters and a gripping plot but devoid of significance to most people's lives. From Tonya Harding to O.J. Simpson to Lacy/Scott Pederson, major news outlets have become more and more dependent on these kind of tabloid soap operas to keep profits high.   For a streamlined varation on this - see Noam Chomsky's  Mass Media Analysis http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=101 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/

"The real mass media are basically trying to divert people. "Let them do something else, but don't bother us (us being the people who run the show). Let them....>> The model therefore attempts to describe how the media form a decentralized and non-conspiratorial but nonetheless very powerful propaganda system, that is able to mobilize an "élite" consensus, frame public debate within "élite" perspectives and at the same time give the appearance of democratic consent.....>>   media conglomerate A media conglomerate describes companies that own large numbers of companies in various mass media such as television, radio, publishing, movies, and the Internet. A conglomerate is a large company that consists of divisions of seemingly unrelated businesses. It is questionable whether media companies are unrelated, in 2004. Therefore the term media group may also be applied. Disney, Viacom, Time Warner, News Corp, Bertelsmann, and General Electric. These companies together own more than 90% of the media market.  more glossary   Time Warner AOL owns Afghanistan (a country) ???? AOL AOL By Phone AOL CallAlert AOL for Broadband AOL Latino AOL International AOL Instant Messenger AOL Music AOL Local AOL Voicemail Moviefone - MusicNet@AOL RED Winamp by Nullsoft Road Runner Urban Cableworks of Philadelphia Texas and Kansas City Cable Partners, L.P. CompuServe ICQ by Mirabilis MapQuest Netscape Time Warner Cable HBO Cinemax HBO Asia HBO Brasil HBO Czech HBO Hungary HBO India HBO Latino HBO Ole HBO Poland HBO Romania A&E Mundo E! Latin America SET Latin America WBTV Latin America Latin America History Channel ChannelHBO Brazil HBO Independent Productions HBO Multiplexes HBO on Demand Cinemax Multiplexes Cinemax on Demand HBO HD Cinemax HD HBO Video HBO Domestic and International Program Distribution Capital News 9, Albany, New York MetroSports, Kansas City, Missouri News 8 Austin, Austin, Texas News 10 Now, Syracuse, New York News 14, Carolina-Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina News 14, Carolina-Raleigh, Raleigh, North Carolina NY1 News, New York, New York RNews, Rochester, New York Atlanta Braves Boomerang Cartoon Network Cartoon Network Europe Cartoon Network Latin America Cartoon Network Studios NASCAR.com PGA.com Turner Broadcasting System TBS TCM Europe TNT HD TNT Latin America Turner Classic Movies (TCM) Turner Network Television Turner South TCM & Cartoon Network / Asia Pacific WTBS CNN / U.S. CNN Airport Network CNN en Espana CNN en Espanol Radio CNNfn CNN Headline News CNN International CNN Mobile CNNMoney.com CNN Newsource CNN.com CNNRadio CNNStudentNews.com CNN to Go Accent Health Cartoon Network Japan CNN+ CETV CNNj CNN Turk CNN.de (German) CNN.co.jp (Japanese) Court TV NBC/Turner NASCAR Races n-tv Zee/Turner New Line Cinema New Line Distribution Fine Line Features New Line Home Entertainment New Line International Releasing New Line Merchandising/Licensing New Line Music New Line New Media New Line Television New Line Theatricals Warner Bros. Entertainment Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Television The WB Television Network Kids' WB! Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Consumer Products Telepictures Productions Warner Independent Pictures Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Warner Bros. Games Warner Bros. International Cinemas Warner Bros. Online DC Comics MAD Magazine Warner Bros. Animation Hanna-Barbera Looney Tunes Time Inc. 25 Beautiful Gardens 25 Beautiful Homes 25 Beautiful Kitchens 4x4 Aeroplane Amateur Gardening Amateur Photographer Angler's Mail Baby Talk Better Digital Photography Bird Keeper BMX Business News Bulfinch Press Business 2.0 Cage & Aviary Birds Caravan Chat Chat Passion Series Classic Boat Coastal Living Cooking Light Country Homes & Interiors Country Life Cycle Sport Cycling Weekly Decanter Entertainment Weekly Essentials European Boat Builder Eventing Family Circle Farm Holiday Guides Field & Stream First Moments For the Love of Cross Stitch For the Love of Quilting Fortune Freeze FSB: Fortune Small Business Golf Magazine Golf Monthly Hair Health Hi-Fi News Homes & Gardens Horse Horse & Hound Ideal Home In Style In Style Australia In Style Germany In Style U.K. International Boat Industry Land Rover World Leisure Arts Little, Brown and Company Livingetc Loaded Marie Claire MBR-Mountain Bike Rider Media Networks, Inc. MiniWorld Mizz Mizz Specials Model Collector Money Motor Boat & Yachting Motor Boating Motor Boats Monthly Motor Caravan NME Now Now Style Series Nuts Outdoor Life Oxmoor House Parenting Park Home & Holiday Caravan People People en Español Teen People Popular Science Practical Boat Owner Practical Parenting Prediction Progressive Farmer Racecar Engineering Real Simple Ride BMX Rugby World Salt Water Sportsman Ships Monthly Shoot Monthly Shooting Gazette Shooting Times Ski Skiing Skiing Trade News Soaplife Southern Accents Southern Living Sporting Gun Sports Illustrated Sports Illustrated for Kids Stamp Magazine Sunset Sunset Books Superbike Synapse Targeted Media, Inc. The Field The Golf The Guitar Magazine The Railway Magazine This Old House This Old House Ventures, Inc. Time Time Asia Time Atlantic Time Canada Time Customer Service Time Distribution Services Time for Kids Time Inc. Custom Publishing Time Inc. Home Entertainment Time Latin America Time South Pacific Time Warner AudioBooks Time Warner Book Group UK TransWorld BMX TransWorld Motocross TransWorld Skateboarding TransWorld Skateboarding Business TransWorld Snowboarding TransWorld Snowboarding Business TransWorld Stance TransWorld Surf TransWorld Surf Business TV & Satellite Week TVTimes Uncut Uncut Presents Series VolksWorld Wallpaper Navigator Wallpaper* Warner Books Warner Faith Warner Publishing Services Webuser Wedding & Home What Camera What Digital Camera What's On TV Who Weekly Woman Woman & Golf Woman & Home Woman's Feelgood Series Woman's Own Woman's Own Lifestyle Series Woman's Weekly Woman's Weekly Fiction Series Woman's Weekly Fiction Special Woman's Weekly Home Series World Soccer Yachting Yachting Monthly Yachting World Joint Ventures Avantages S.A. BOOKSPAN Essence Communications Partners European Magazines Limited (Oakbrook Investments LLC, which owns Time Warner shares among its $1.2 billion under management.) (Henry Asher, who owns AOL shares both professionally and personally) ABC is owned by Disney Productions and Disney owns the following; Buena Vista Touchstone Walt Disney Hollywood Pictures Caravan Pictures Miramax Films ABC.com Oscar.com Mr. Showbiz Family.com ESPN.com NBA.com NASCAR.com (is this a joint venture with AOL)? toysmart.com Anaheim Sports Inc The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Hyperion Miramax Books ESPN Books Theia ABC Daytime Press Hyperion Audiobooks Hyperion East Disney Publishing Worldwide Cal Publishing Inc. CrossGen Hyperion Books for Children Jump at the Sun Volo Michael di Caupa Books Disney Global Children's Books Disney Press Global Retail Global Continuity Automotive Industries Biography (with GE and Hearst) Discover Disney Adventures Disney Magazine ECN News ESPN Magazine (distributed by Hearst) Family Fun Institutional Investor JCK Kodin Top Famille - French family magazine US Weekly (50%) Video Business Quality (TV stations) WLS - Chicago WJRT - Flint KFSN - Fresno KTRK - Houston KABC - Los Angeles WABC - New York City WPVI - Philadelphia WTVD - Raleigh - Durham KGO - San Francisco WTVG - Toledo (Radio) WKHX – Atlanta (president) WYAY – Atlanta - (Victor Sansone) WDWD – Atlanta - (Victor Sansone) WMVP – Chicago - Jim Pastor, general manager WLS – Chicago - Emily L Barr, general manager(president) WZZN – Chicago WRDZ – Chicago WBAP – Dallas KSCS – Dallas KMEO – Dallas KESN – Dallas KMKI – Dallas WDRQ – Detroit WJR – Detroit WDVD – Detroit KABC – Los Angeles KLOS – Los Angeles KDIS – Los Angeles KSPN – Los Angeles KQRS – Minneapolis KXXR – Minneapolis - St. Paul (possibly co-owned by Clear Channels) KDIZ – Minneapolis - St. Paul WGVX – Minneapolis - St. Paul WGVY – Minneapolis - St. Paul WGVZ – Minneapolis - St. Paul WPLJ – New York City WQEW – New York City WEVD – New York City KSFO – San Francisco (KGO) KIID – Sacramento KMKY – Oakland WMAL – Washington DC WJZW – Washington DC WRQX – Washington DC KQAM – Wichita KKDZ – Seattle WSDZ – St. Louis WWMK – Cleveland KMIX – Phoenix KADZ – Denver KDDZ – Denver WWMI – Tampa KMIC – Houston WMYM – Miami - WWJZ – Philadelphia WMKI – Boston WDZK – Hartford WDDZ – Providence WDZY – Richmond WGFY – Charlotte - WDYZ – Orlando WMNE – West Palm Beach WDRD – Louisville WPPY – Albany, NY KPHN – Kansas City WQUA – Mobile WBML – Jacksonville WFDF – Flint WFRO – Fremont, OH WDMV – Damascus, MD WHKT – Norfolk Radio Disney ESPN Radio ABC Family The Disney Channel Toon Disney SoapNet ESPN Inc. (80% - Hearst Corporation owns the remaining 20%) includes ESPN, ESPN2, (Bob Watson, general manager) ESPN News, ESPN Now, ESPN Extreme Classic Sports Network A&E Television (37.5%, with Hearst and GE) The History Channel (with Hearst and GE) Lifetime Television (50%, with Hearst) Lifetime Movie Network (50% with Hearst) E! Entertainment (with Comcast and Liberty Media) The Disney Channel UK The Disney Channel Taiwan The Disney Channel Australia The Disney Channel Malaysia The Disney Channel France The Disney Channel Middle East The Disney Channel Italy The Disney Channel Spain ESPN INC. International Ventures Sportsvision of Australia (25%) ESPN Brazil (50%) ESPN STAR (50%) - sports programming throughout Asia Net STAR (33%) owners of The Sports Network of Canada Tele-Munchen - German television production and distribution RTL-2 - German television production and distribution Hamster Productions - French television production TV Sport of France Tesauro of Spain Scandinavian Broadcasting System Japan Sports Channel (partial investor with TiVo) (Disney CEO Michael Eisner) Clear Channel Communications Inc. (vice president Tom Hicks - also part owner) (president John Hogan) (Director; CEO, Clear Channel Outdoor: Mark P. Mays)

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