In 1983, 50 corporations owned almost all of the media in the United States. By 2000, 90 percent of the U.S. media was controlled by only six corporations, most of which also had a number of media holdings around the world. Today, just FOUR media companies dominate the majority of media holdings in the U.S.: AT&T, Comcast, Disney, and Viacom. Many critics believe that this increasingly concentrated “corporate media” philosophy not only affects the quality of media we are exposed to but is also a threat to democracy and freedom of the press.
2. Watch the short video trailer for “Shadows of Liberty” below.
Note: The trailer hints at some media conspiracy theories, but the main thing I want you to focus on is how what gets reported and, in this case, what doesn’t get reported can be impacted by corporate interests. You can stop watching after the interview with the Shadows of Liberty director.
3. Study the holdings of the top 4 U.S. media conglomerates
While you should never use Wikipedia as an academic source, it is currently the most up-to-date site for the ever-changing information on media ownership. Visit this page and scroll down to the United States chart. Look at the vertical column for each of the following media companies to see what they own in the areas of film, television, publishing, sports, and other non-media businesses.
* Comcast
* Disney
* Viacom/CBS
* AT&T
4. Read the following articles about the effects of media conglomeration:
Read: Here’s Who Owns Everything in Media Today
https://www.vox.com/2018/1/23/16905844/media-landscape-verizon-amazon-comcast-disney-fox-relationships-chart
Read: Big Media Consolidation Presents Big Problems
Read: Corporate Giants are Coming for Your Local News
Corporate giants are coming for your local news. Here’s how we fight back.
How Mega-Mergers Are Changing the Way You Watch Your Favorite Shows and Movies
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/07/27/business/media/mergers-streaming.html
Now, please write a discussion post of at least 300 words that addresses each of the following topics, citing examples from the Shadows of Liberty video and other media ownership information in the assigned readings:
1. What stood out or surprised you most about the holdings of the following Big Four corporations: Comcast, Walt Disney Co., CBS/Viacom, and AT&T? I’m looking for specific information about their holdings, not just that they own a lot of companies.
2. Give an example of a potential conflict of interest, based on one of these corporation’s holdings. For example, a newspaper or news station’s primary interest is in reporting the news that’s important to its readers. But what happens when that newspaper is owned by a major media conglomerate whose other media properties could be harmed by that reporting? Try to come up with specific examples of potential conflicts of interest that could arise from these media mergers and takeovers within a specific conglomerate. One conflict of interest was shown in the video, but I want you to come up with your own.
3. Do you agree with critics who say that media conglomeration is a threat to democracy? Why or why not? What concerns do you have about media conglomeration? Make sure to watch the Shadows of Liberty trailer and newscast discussion about it before answering this.
