Post #3

Media ownership is not as diverse as one would expect it to be.  Disney, Viacom, Time Warner, and other large media companies are the only ones that really "own" a large portion of what we see everyday.  Clear Channel Communications owns too much of the radio channels and has created a monopoly over what we see and hear.  This filtration of information favors that of the company, as we are not really offered too many options in hearing/seeing other companies' opinions.

Within some of the readings due for class, women and the minority struggle to find footholds within the media world.  The owners of the large media conglomerates are predominantly white males, most famously Robert Iger of the Walt Disney Company.  In Catherine Saalfield's Art and Activism, Saalfield mentions that there should be "a mandate to work with independent women filmmakers, filmmakers who are not working within the television system or Hollywood system" (264).  It could be said that people within Hollywood and the TV industry must conform to what is popular at the time.  This is very mainstream and what is viewed is almost always popular.  Those who go against this mainstream idea tend to not get noticed or become popular.  If one looks at today's popular directors, most directors are white males.

Saalfield also states, "A major problem, even today, is convincing men that films by and about women are important" (264).  This is very true of today's media and movies.  On Netflix streaming, I noticed that Netflix created a queue category called "Featuring a Strong Female Lead."  This shows that many people are negligent in what they view.  In bell hooks' Understanding Patriarchy, she explains how men "dismiss [women and feminism] as irrelevant to their own experiences (17).  It is true that men do hold a strong dominance within media as much of the information is filtered by companies who are owned by men.  The men have the final say in what is viewed and the FCC is run by men who have dominated in some aspect of media before receiving their high standing position at the FCC.  Bell hooks even says she "often use[s] the phrase 'imperialist white-supremcist capitalistic patriarchy'" (17).  She uses this phrase to characterize politics, which has much to do with mainstream media.  Politics is the basis of what can make or break popular media.

PBS can be described as an "honest" media source.  PBS fights mainstream media as much of the programming is "brought to you by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you" (PBS).  PBS is funded by viewers rather than the large mainstream media companies.  PBS caters to all age groups and even shows the popular Sesame Street to younger children. PBS's mission statement is to provide "programming that expands the minds of children,documentaries that open up new worlds, non-commercialized news programs that keep citizens informed on world events and cultures and programs that expose America to the worlds of music, theater, dance and art." (PBS.org).

In December 2012, a ban on companies owning media and newspapers was going to be lifted, severely impacting the minorities who own media.  Within an article on The National Journal, the already "excruciating low" amount of minorities owning media would deplete drastically.  The FCC, in conjunction with the Free Press, agreed that the media consolidation would severely limit the amount of media variety given to the public.  If the ban was lifted, it would make it harder for minorities to purchase media in the top tiers.  The article argues that minorities are usually portrayed negatively in nightly news (immigration reforms) and crimes usually covered in broadcast mostly involve minorities.  Ironically the study was conducted by white reporters who state that most media reporters are white.

joelrojo.com

Within developing nations, media sometimes caters to a specific political party or argument.  Within an article written by GSDRC, media within developing nations usually has a "watchdog, gatekeeper, and agenda setter" (GSDRC).  The watchdog watches for trends and events worth reporting about.  The watchdog sometimes has sole jurisdiction over what is reported.  The Gatekeeper makes sure the media is prepared properly and in an ethical manner.  The Agenda Setter proposes outlets that the Watchdog should explore, creating a cycle between the three people.  The media gathered can sometimes be skewed and bias since it is not monitored by sanctions or laws that provide censorship.  Propaganda is sometimes reported to the mainstream and sensationalism sometimes get the best of these reporters and information becomes false.  Honest reporting happens as well, since some state-owned media outlets produce propaganda en masse to the public.

Minorities and women in media ownership have to struggle to compete with the media giants.  Media giants tend to have a larger audience therefore making it harder for the smaller companies to get their voices heard.  The amount of publicity that the media giants have morph them into reliable sources for many people.  Competition is fierce and the battle is mainly between the 6 media giants.  Minorities and women can and will battle with these companies and hopefully many will rise to the top.  Honest media versus propaganda in developing nations is hard to discern since the state could be issuing propaganda to the masses while a private reporter could be trying to have his/her own propagandized media issued.  How we get media is up to us and whether or not we trust the source it is coming from.