Media | ||||
The Issue We spend countless hours exposed to television, radio, CDs, books, newspapers, magazines, billboards and the Internet. These media form our ideas, opinions, values and beliefs. They play a vital role in our democracy, shaping citizens' understanding of social and political issues. The media influence the perceptions of citizens and decision-makers, affecting the policies that touch us all. On average, kids spend nearly 4 hours a day watching television and view as many as 40,000 television commercials every year. Media must not be considered just another business. They are special institutions in our society. Information is the lifeblood of democracy. When viewpoints are cut off and ideas cannot find an outlet, our democracy suffers. An informed population is a crucial element of a functioning democracy. Yet many factors often work against this key requirement. Powerful corporations are becoming major influences on mainstream media. Major multinational corporations own thousands of media stations and outlets. This leads to a reduction in diversity and depth of content that the public can get, while increasing the political and economic power of corporations and advertisers. To have a true democracy, people need easy access to independent, diverse sources of news and information. But the last two decades have seen unprecedented corporate media consolidation. In the early 1980s, 50 media conglomerates dominated all media outlets including television, radio, newspapers, magazines, music, publishing and film. In the year 2000, most IHMs in Action If you don't have Adobe Reader, you can download the latest version here.
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