Consider A.J. Leibling’s quote “Freedom of the press is
limited to those who own one” in terms of minority voices. In “The National Entertainment State,” what
are Makani Themba-Nixon’s concerns and criticisms of media conglomerates in
relation to minority groups?
Both A.J. Leibling’s quote and the article by Makani Themba-Nixon reflect the troubling results that the Telecommunications Act had on media and especially on people of color. Leibling’s quote reflects the fact that people don’t have the freedom to significantly distribute news and information unless you own an outlet, especially a big one that can compete with the dominant ones. In other words, if ninety percent of media that we consume is distributed by six major conglomerate corporations, it gives a lot of power to those corporations. As we know, patriarchy makes it very likely that rich older white people get to decide how news is shared to majority of people. Consequently, these corporations have the power to report biased media and what suits their best interest. These big conglomerates also have the power of deciding what narratives get told and whose experiences get represented. These conglomerates get to decide how people of color are represented, how white people get represented, how women are represented, how stories get told, whose experiences get normalized and placed as standard. In large part, the conglomerates have the ability of creating, influencing, and maintaining the culture. While people might believe that they have the choice to choose what to consume, the majority of corporations fall under the big six conglomerates, making it extremely difficult and almost inevitable to remain apart from the dominating narratives in some shape or form.
ReplyDeleteAs Michael Corcoran stated, the effects of the Telecommunication Act have had great influence of the democracy of the United States and the law. According to Corcoran, “both the Democratic and Republican parties have strong ties to the large communication firms and industries, and the communication lobbies are among the most feared, respected and well-endowed of all that seek favors on Capitol Hill.” In a country that systematically disadvantages minorities and people of color, these truths are troubling and the people with the most power will make choices that suit their corporation to give them more power. It’s no surprise that these corporations are most interested in maintaining systems of oppression intact.
Natalie Y
Makani Themba-Nixon explains how large corporations have affected the minority media landscape. When a minority media outlet is taken over, they restyle it in order for the outlet to better fit with the parent company’s brand. Unfortunately, after this “make over” the outlet ends up losing many of the people of color who work there. She cites that, “only 4.2 percent of radio outlets are minority owned, yet these outlets employ more than half of all people of color in radio.” She also explains that there are fewer people of color in media as “tax incentives for outlet sales to minorities” are now completely gone. Her main concern in “the National Entertainment State” is that with corporations buying and taking over minority media, people of color will lose their voices, so to speak.
ReplyDeleteAs A.J. Leibling stated, “Freedom of the press is limited to those who own one.” Though these minority media outlets are still around, they mainly reflect the views of their parent companies who primarily market to middle class white people. This leads to programming that no longer reflects the original target audience and a whitewashing of their culture. With BET’s commemoration to Black History Month with BET’s Top @#%! Moments in Black History this not only negates the achievements of the African American community but also perpetuates racial stereotypes that are used to oppress the community. Ethan Michaeli also shows us that media consolidation causes local media outlets to shut down due to low sales as they cannot compete against large corporations. The loss of local minority media means a loss in a way for communities to raise and discuss issues that affect them. This loss of power leads to the continuation of the institutionalized systems of oppression that these communities have spent decades fighting against. As Amy Goodman says, “We need an independent media. Democracy Now!”
-Megan R.