Media Consolidation

Concentration: Refers to the merging of media companies resulting in fewer owners controlling more media outlets.
Conglomeration: The process where media companies diversify their business interests by acquiring non-media businesses.
Cross Media Ownership: A situation where a single company owns various forms of media, such as newspapers, radio, and television in the same market.
Diversification: Expansion into new markets or products to reduce risk and increase profits.
Transnational Corporations: Large companies operating in multiple countries, leading to a global media landscape.
Deregulation: Reduction or elimination of government rules governing media ownership and operations, promoting further consolidation.
New Media: Emergence of the internet and digital platforms that disrupt traditional media models.
Social Media: Platforms allowing for user-generated content and interaction, changing consumption patterns.

McChesney (2000): Claims that despite more options like cable television, content is largely homogeneous, meaning that media diversity is illusory.
Bagdikian (2004): Highlights the drastic reduction in media ownership from 50 corporations in 1983 to 22 controlling 90% of the media by 1992.
Curran (2003): Establishes the historical perspective on media ownership concentration in the UK, indicating a long-standing trend.

Pluralism: Suggests that the audience has ultimate control over media content through preferences and choices.
Marxism: Argues that the ruling class, as media owners, determine content that serves their interests, perpetuating social inequality.
Neo-Marxism: Proposes that journalists and editors, often part of the ruling class, exercise significant control over media narratives.
Postmodernism: Argues that media serves an important role in society through pervasive influence despite apparent choice within consumption.

Sutton Trust (2006): Found a majority of leading journalists come from private or independent schools, indicating class bias in media representation.
Althusser: Describes media as an ideological state apparatus that perpetuates dominant ideologies.
Chomsky: Presents a propaganda model where media works to serve elite interests, limiting democratic discourse.
Baudrillard: Discusses concepts of hyperreality and simulacra, suggesting media blurs the line between reality and representation.
Miliband: Argues that media serves as the "opium of the people," distracting them from social inequalities and injustices while reinforcing the status quo. Allows individuals to escape from the realities of their circumstances= passive audiences.

Social Construction of News: News is shaped by social processes and is not a mere reflection of reality.
Agenda Setting: Media does not just inform; it influences what issues are considered important.
Gatekeeping: The process of filtering information for publication or broadcasting, which impacts public perception.
Churnalism: Duplicate reporting or heavy reliance on pre-existing stories, reducing original journalism.
Moral Panic: A widespread fear or anxiety that is provoked by media narratives about specific groups or situations.

Gultang and Ruge (1965): Established news values that influence what is reported.
Chomsky: Extends the propaganda view with the 5 filters of the media, outlining how content is shaped by various factors under capitalist interests.
Hall (1980): Discusses how audiences are guided on how to interpret news, influencing public perception.