Capitalist media
The capitalist media is the apparatus of mass media and information under bourgeois society which exists to maintain and defend the power and interests of the ruling class. The media under capitalism commonly takes the form of news outlets, television, films, and "think tanks", many of which under the control of large corporate bodies.[1][2] This media forms an essential aspect of the capitalist superstructure and serves to disseminate the ideological basis for capitalism and manufacture consent for imperialist and anti-working class action and policies.[3]
The development and adoption of modern communication technologies such as the internet has enabled the large-scale circulation of media in capitalist societies. One of the largest forms of capitalist media, news agencies and corporations, come in multiple varieties. Examples include private and explicitly for-profit entities such as CNN or FOX, or state-controlled outlets such as BBC, DW, RT, or CGTN.[4]
Mechanisms
As detailed in Edward S. Herman's and Noam Chomsky's 1988 work Manufacturing Consent, the capitalist media operates on a number of filters by which information is distorted in favor of the class interests of the bourgeoisie for the indoctrination of the working class.
Size, ownership, and profit orientation
The dominant mass-media are large profit-based operations, and therefore they must cater to the financial interests of the owners such as corporations and controlling investors. The size of a media company is a consequence of the investment capital required for the mass-communications technology required to reach a mass audience of viewers, listeners, and readers.
Advertising
Since the majority of the revenue of major media outlets derives from advertising (not from sales or subscriptions), advertisers have acquired a "de facto licensing authority". Media outlets are not commercially viable without the support of advertisers. News media must therefore cater to the political prejudices and economic desires of their advertisers. This has weakened the working class press, for example, and also helps explain the attrition in the number of newspapers in many Western countries.
Sourcing
Herman and Chomsky argue that "the large bureaucracies of the powerful subsidize the mass media, and gain special access [to the news], by their contribution to reducing the media's costs of acquiring [...] and producing, news. The large entities that provide this subsidy become 'routine' news sources and have privileged access to the gates. Non-routine sources must struggle for access, and may be ignored by the arbitrary decision of the gatekeepers." Editorial distortion is aggravated by the news media's dependence upon private and governmental news sources. If a given newspaper, television station, magazine, etc., incurs disfavor from the sources, it is subtly excluded from access to information. A news organisation loses readers or viewers, and ultimately, advertisers. To minimize such financial danger, news media businesses editorially distort their reporting to favor government and corporate policies to stay in business.
Flak
"Flak" refers to negative responses to a media statement or program (e.g. letters, complaints, lawsuits, or legislative actions). Flak can be expensive to the media, either due to loss of advertising revenue, or due to the costs of legal defense or defense of the media outlet's public image. Flak can be organized by powerful, private influence groups (e.g. think tanks). The prospect of eliciting flak can be a deterrent to the reporting of certain kinds of facts or opinions.
Anti-communism
This filter concerns the spectre of a common enemy which can be used to marginalise dissent: "This ideology helps mobilize the populace against an enemy, and because the concept is fuzzy it can be used against anybody advocating policies that threaten [dominant] interests". Anti-communism was included as a filter in the original 1988 edition of the book, but Chomsky argues that since the end of the Cold War (1945–91) anti-communism was replaced by the "war on terror" as the major social control mechanism.
See also
- Superstructure
- Hollywood, film industry in the United States
- Anti-communism
References
- ↑ Ashley Lutz (June 14, 2012). "These 6 Corporations Control 90% Of The Media In America". Business Insider. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ↑ Chrisman, Robert. (2013). The Role of Mass Media in U.S. Imperialism. The Black Scholar. 43. 10.5816/blackscholar.43.3.0056. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ↑ The Propaganda Multiplier (June 2016). Swiss Policy Research. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ↑ Anup Shah (January 2, 2009). Media Conglomerates, Mergers, Concentration of Ownership. Global Issues. Retrieved August 17, 2024.