Ownership
Media Ownership
The press, like most other media is controlled by a relatively small group of companies creating an oligopoly (concentration of power in a few hands) as well as potential for synergy. It may be good in business terms but is it good for a democracy? There are clear concerns with news coverage being biased as a result of self-interest. If a newspaper has to rely on businesses advertising in its pages will it dare to report negatively on these same multinational corporations?
Also, do you think it is dangerous for one individual to have too large a share of the world news? There have been concerns about the journalistic integrity of News Corporation and its companies. Of the 180 plus newspapers owned by News Corporation not one printed any editorials suggesting that going to war with Iraq was wrong. Doesn’ t this seem strange, especially in an organisation which has been accused of following the ideology and political beliefs of its owner? Fox News constantly supports the Republicans (as does Murdoch) and attacks the Democrats. Murdoch owns The Times and The Sun in the U.K. He also owns Sky TV. Do we really want so many media networks in the hands of one man, particularly when the ethics of The Sun and The News of the World were recently called into question following the phone hacking scandal.
The Sun and The Times are part of the giant multi media News Corporation. News Corporation has a vast network of media including Fox TV, BSkyB and Twentieth Century Fox. As part of this larger network of profit making companies The Times, which only went into profit recently, can still be assured financial stability for the foreseeable future. The Independent, which is owned by the billionaire, Alexander Lebedev, has the benefit of his family’s wealth to sustain it.
The Guardian, as previously stated, is a liberal newspaper. It is not right wing and as such may be an important alternative voice to much of the right wing press. Not only that, it is not owned by any one individual but is part of the GMG or Guardian Media Group, a network of companies whose aim is to make enough profit to maintain the newspaper. Although all newspapers are monitored by the Press Complaints Commission is this organisation able to guarantee their integrity? The integrity of the press is of particular relevance in the wake of the phone hacking scandal, a story incidentally unearthed by The Guardian.
The Guardian is run by The Scott Trust which manages The Guardian Media Group. This means that its finances are supported by profits made by other companies within the group. The Guardian attempts to be ‘profit seeking’ but does not have to make money. In this sense it is free from the demands of shareholders to either radically cut costs and thereby risk affecting the quality of its news and also can avoid any attempts to dumb down in order to attract a wider audience. It also is able to avoid any accusations of its editorial independence being compromised by its owner. It should be noted that although the GMG has continued to support The Guardian, it is a loss making company. The Guardian makes losses of over 30 million pounds a year. The Times has only recently made profit (due to its paywall) and The Independent can sustain losses due to the wealth of its billionaire owner, Alexander Lebedev. Losing 10s of millions a year at The Guardian is not sustainable and to ensure the long terms survival of the newspaper its digital wing must become profit making in the near future. In 2014 The profitable Autotrader group was sold by Guardian GMG providing much needed cash but also limiting guaranteed long term income. Like most newspapers The Guardian has also been reducing its staffing over the past few years to reduce operating costs. But with print citculation declining, and problems in the free online access policy creating revenue how long can the paper survive?
Comment is free, but facts are sacred... The voice of opponents no less than that of friends has a right to be heard ..a quote from CP Scott ex editor of the Guardian (can be found on The Guardian website)
The press, like most other media is controlled by a relatively small group of companies creating an oligopoly (concentration of power in a few hands) as well as potential for synergy. It may be good in business terms but is it good for a democracy? There are clear concerns with news coverage being biased as a result of self-interest. If a newspaper has to rely on businesses advertising in its pages will it dare to report negatively on these same multinational corporations?
Also, do you think it is dangerous for one individual to have too large a share of the world news? There have been concerns about the journalistic integrity of News Corporation and its companies. Of the 180 plus newspapers owned by News Corporation not one printed any editorials suggesting that going to war with Iraq was wrong. Doesn’ t this seem strange, especially in an organisation which has been accused of following the ideology and political beliefs of its owner? Fox News constantly supports the Republicans (as does Murdoch) and attacks the Democrats. Murdoch owns The Times and The Sun in the U.K. He also owns Sky TV. Do we really want so many media networks in the hands of one man, particularly when the ethics of The Sun and The News of the World were recently called into question following the phone hacking scandal.
The Sun and The Times are part of the giant multi media News Corporation. News Corporation has a vast network of media including Fox TV, BSkyB and Twentieth Century Fox. As part of this larger network of profit making companies The Times, which only went into profit recently, can still be assured financial stability for the foreseeable future. The Independent, which is owned by the billionaire, Alexander Lebedev, has the benefit of his family’s wealth to sustain it.
The Guardian, as previously stated, is a liberal newspaper. It is not right wing and as such may be an important alternative voice to much of the right wing press. Not only that, it is not owned by any one individual but is part of the GMG or Guardian Media Group, a network of companies whose aim is to make enough profit to maintain the newspaper. Although all newspapers are monitored by the Press Complaints Commission is this organisation able to guarantee their integrity? The integrity of the press is of particular relevance in the wake of the phone hacking scandal, a story incidentally unearthed by The Guardian.
The Guardian is run by The Scott Trust which manages The Guardian Media Group. This means that its finances are supported by profits made by other companies within the group. The Guardian attempts to be ‘profit seeking’ but does not have to make money. In this sense it is free from the demands of shareholders to either radically cut costs and thereby risk affecting the quality of its news and also can avoid any attempts to dumb down in order to attract a wider audience. It also is able to avoid any accusations of its editorial independence being compromised by its owner. It should be noted that although the GMG has continued to support The Guardian, it is a loss making company. The Guardian makes losses of over 30 million pounds a year. The Times has only recently made profit (due to its paywall) and The Independent can sustain losses due to the wealth of its billionaire owner, Alexander Lebedev. Losing 10s of millions a year at The Guardian is not sustainable and to ensure the long terms survival of the newspaper its digital wing must become profit making in the near future. In 2014 The profitable Autotrader group was sold by Guardian GMG providing much needed cash but also limiting guaranteed long term income. Like most newspapers The Guardian has also been reducing its staffing over the past few years to reduce operating costs. But with print citculation declining, and problems in the free online access policy creating revenue how long can the paper survive?
Comment is free, but facts are sacred... The voice of opponents no less than that of friends has a right to be heard ..a quote from CP Scott ex editor of the Guardian (can be found on The Guardian website)