Corporate Takeover

After reading Ronnie Dugger’s article, Corporate Takeover of the Media, you diffidently get a sense of his passion and his anger for how he feels about the way media is being enforced and treated in our country. He starts off talking about how the government is dolling out commercial right on independent digital channels to licensed broadcasters for free. From there he moves on to how big media corporations seem to be able to ignore the laws set in place. Such as no corporation can control more than 35% of the TV sent to the population and cable is no more than 30%. Yet, companies like CBS/Viacom reach 41% of the population. Also that no company can control both TV and newspaper markets in the same region. However, Tribune Co. owns TV Company and newspaper in the same market. Dugger latter states that in some areas of the country, companies own a newspaper, radio station, and television stations. From here I the reader pulled back for a moment and thought, “yea well what’s the big deal, so what, why do I care.” Dugger’s response, at least it seemed to me, was that if the media controls all outlets of information. They have to ability to manipulate that information that the public hears in what ever way they choose, these corporations have the influence. From a business stand point, this strategy make very good sense, but from an ethical stand point, not so much. Let’s say the corporation that owns what ever media outlet reports the news in your region does something bad, do you think they are going to be the first and most honest about that incident. Realistically, probably not. Dugger further comments on how US corporations are trying to take over the electromagnetic spectrum airwaves, which are international public property. They are doing this by trying to force our government to push for regulations on them. Finally, Dugger ends on how this country needs some political figure to go against the norm and fight the corporations. Make freedom of media an issue on Capitol Hill.