The Mass Media Serves the Interests of the Corporate and Political Elite

The Mass Media Serves the Interests of the Corporate and Political Elite

There exists a symbiotic relationship between corporate America and the United States government. This relationship influences the organizational structure of the mass media and thereby greatly impacts the framing of social problems in our society. The mass media serves the interests of the corporate and political elite by presenting only those issues favorable to their objectives and “filtering” out those that are not. To understand how this “filtering” process works, it is necessary to recognize who actually has control of what issues are presented in the mass media and what issues are omitted. Our media is an oligopoly that poses a threat to the very idea of democracy. The general assumption of most people, that the journalists themselves control what we see and hear, is false. Rather, it is the owners of the media, who consist of the corporate and government elite that are in control

These two groups are so intertwined, having such a mutual reliance on one another; it is difficult to view them as separate entities. A clear example of this is how William J. Casey, Reagan’s CIA director, gained both personally and politically from the Capital Cities/ABC takeover. Casey was both a founder of Capital Cities as well as a major political player in the Reagan administration. As a major stockholder of the corporation it is easy to see how he could possibly have used his influence to assure what was broadcast by ABC was favorable to the Reagan administration’s political agenda. This example is not unique, rather, it is representative of the normal workings of big business and politics in our country.

To protect the interest of these powers, t...

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... Another reason a problem may fade is the dwindling of public support and interest when the amount of time, cost and effort necessary to rectify the situation becomes evident.

The fact remains; those in power have the power. The rest of us are relegated to “just show up every four years and vote.” In a democracy, we need a free flow of information in order to evaluate the situations going on around us. But as long as big business and government symbiotically control the media we’ll only see what they want us to see. If things are ever to change with our present system it must start at the “grass roots level.” The people must challenge the system if they want a chance at having a voice that is equal to that of the corporate and political elite. As George Orwell once said, “[True] liberty…means allowing people freely to say things you do not want to hear.”