[lbo-talk] Bloomberg

Miles Jackson cqmv at pdx.edu
Sat Jul 23 20:48:56 PDT 2005


On Sat, 23 Jul 2005, Doug Henwood wrote:


> When did American media ever challenge the status quo?

I think the argument is that conglomerate-owned media outlets are less likely to cover stories that endanger the profits of the conglomerate's subsidaries and "strategic partners". I'm not sure I buy that myself, because even in a media conglomerate, there are prestige and profits to be earned from a big "scoop", and scoops often disturb the status quo.


> The problem isn't concentration, it's media under the discipline of profit
> maximization.

Okay, the media consolidation is an effect of the actual underlying problem (capitalist production of mass media). Chalk up another one for "crude" Marxist analysis of superstructure!

--It's been a while since I read Herman and Chomsky on media: are they analogous to Ralph "capitalism's-okay-we-just-need-small businesses" Nader?

Miles



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