Marxist view of media owners
The traditional Marxist approach argues the concentration of ownership of the mass media in the hands of a few corporations enables owners to control media output and send out ideas/ideologies which benefit ruling-class interests. This approach sees the media as an instrument of the ruling-class. Marxists identify several key features to their approach:
- owners have direct control of media content
- owners can and do interfere with media content
- owners use the media to spread ideas (dominant ideology) which justify the position and power of the ruling-class
- media managers have to follow the wishes of their owners
- journalists depend on owners for their jobs so are unlikely to run stories which challenge the status and authority of the ruling-class
- audience is assumed to be passive who consume media messages without thought – hypodermic syringe model best explains audience behaviour
Weaknesses
- pluralists argue there’s a wide range of media with differing views
- state regulates media ownership so companies don’t dominate
- audiences aren’t passive and actively challenge what they’re informed about – eg Twitter
Return to power and politics overview
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