The Political Economy of Media

by McChesney, Robert W.

• ISBN13: 9781583671610
• ISBN10: 1583671617
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-05-01
• Publisher: Monthly Review Pr

Summary

The influence of media on society is unquestioned. Its reach penetrates nearly every corner of the world and every aspect of life. But it has also been a contested realm, embodying class politics and the interests of monopoly capital. In The Political Economy of Media, one of the foremost media critics of our time, Robert W. McChesney, provides a comprehensive analysis of the economic and political powers that are being mobilized to consolidate private control of media with increasing profit -- all at the expense of democracy. In this elegant and lucid collection, McChesney examines the monopolistic competition that has created a global media that is ever more concentrated and centralized. McChesney reveals why questions about the ownership of commercial U.S. media remain off limits within the political culture; how private ownership of media leads to the degradation of journalism and suppression of genuine debate; and why corporate rule threatens democracy by failing to provide the means for an educated and informed citizenry. The Political Economy of Media also highlights resistance to corporate media over the last century, including the battle between broadcasters and the public in the 1920s and 1930s and the ongoing media reform movement today. The Political Economy of Media makes it clear that the struggle over the ownership and the role of media is of utmost importance to everyone.

Author Biography

Robert W. McChesney is the Gutgsell Endowed Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Table of Contents

Preface	p. 7
Introduction	p. 11
Journalism	p. 23
The Problem of Journalism	p. 25
A Century of Radical Media Criticism in the United States	p. 67
Upton Sinclair and the Contradictions of Capitalist Journalism	p. 83
Telling the Truth at a Moment of Truth: U.S. News Media and the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq	p. 97
How to Think About Journalism: Looking Backward, Going Forward	p. 117
Critical Studies	p. 155
The Battle for the U.S. Airwaves, 1928-1935	p. 157
The Payne Fund and Radio Broadcasting, 1928-1935	p. 181
Media Made Sport: A History of Sports Coverage in the United States	p. 213
Public Broadcasting in the Age of Communication Revolution	p. 233
The New Theology of the First Amendment: Class Privilege Over Democracy	p. 249
The Commercial Tidal Wave	p. 265
Noam Chomsky and the Struggle Against Neoliberalism	p. 283
The New Economy: Myth and Reality	p. 291
The Political Economy of International Communications	p. 305
Politics and Media Reform	p. 339
Off-Limits: An Inquiry into the Lack of Debate Over the Ownership, Structure, and Control of the Media in U.S. Political Life	p. 341
The Internet and U.S. Communication Policymaking in Historical and Critical Perspective	p. 355
U.S. Left and Media Politics	p. 383
Global Media and Its Discontents	p. 393
Theses on Media Deregulation
Rich Media, Poor Democracy: Communication Politics in Dubious Times	p. 425
The Case for U.S. Public Broadcasting and Implications for Philanthropists	p. 445
The Escalating War Against Corporate Media	p. 461
The U.S. Media Reform Movement Going Forward	p. 491
Notes	p. 501
Index	p. 569
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