Ethical Dilemma Paper
Ethical Dilemma Paper
William Rigney
ETH 321
5/26/2015
Laurie Wicker
Introduction How big is big? Just 32 years ago, the majority of American media was controlled by 50 corporations. Today, that number is just six. This paper will discuss the ethics involved when a handful of conglomerates are allowed to own a majority of America’s media, and offer possible alternate solution. Oligopoly, that is the term given when there are only a few firms that dominate a single market. With the announcement today of the Charter Communications buyout of Tome Warner Cable, as well as Bright House Networks, big media just got a little bigger. Out freedom to information is far too important, and with this announcement today, where we get that information become more limited than before, and more controlled. While major networks compete for viewership numbers, and news outlets compete for subscribers, the share the same bed. Here in Washington, we see the same news anchors and reporters on two different networks, at different times, even though these channels are in “competition” for your attention. This has gone past simple left wing-right wing issue, this is the tendency of corporate America to not discuss the real issues. In 2007, then Senator Barrack Obama wrote to a then Republican FCC chairman that wanted to make the same changes that are being now, and condemned those actions. What are these actions? First, the hearings on these matters are being privately. The FCC, a federal commission that works for the best interest of the television viewing public, or, the rightful owners of the airwaves, will not allow the public to hear what is being sdaid in these hearings. What this administration learned from the previous is, if the hearings are made public, they discover how the public is against the idea of fewer conglomerates owning all the media. The FCC is allowing theses huge corporations to put the squeeze on print media, making it harder for the public to choose where
William Rigney
ETH 321
5/26/2015
Laurie Wicker
Introduction How big is big? Just 32 years ago, the majority of American media was controlled by 50 corporations. Today, that number is just six. This paper will discuss the ethics involved when a handful of conglomerates are allowed to own a majority of America’s media, and offer possible alternate solution. Oligopoly, that is the term given when there are only a few firms that dominate a single market. With the announcement today of the Charter Communications buyout of Tome Warner Cable, as well as Bright House Networks, big media just got a little bigger. Out freedom to information is far too important, and with this announcement today, where we get that information become more limited than before, and more controlled. While major networks compete for viewership numbers, and news outlets compete for subscribers, the share the same bed. Here in Washington, we see the same news anchors and reporters on two different networks, at different times, even though these channels are in “competition” for your attention. This has gone past simple left wing-right wing issue, this is the tendency of corporate America to not discuss the real issues. In 2007, then Senator Barrack Obama wrote to a then Republican FCC chairman that wanted to make the same changes that are being now, and condemned those actions. What are these actions? First, the hearings on these matters are being privately. The FCC, a federal commission that works for the best interest of the television viewing public, or, the rightful owners of the airwaves, will not allow the public to hear what is being sdaid in these hearings. What this administration learned from the previous is, if the hearings are made public, they discover how the public is against the idea of fewer conglomerates owning all the media. The FCC is allowing theses huge corporations to put the squeeze on print media, making it harder for the public to choose where
References: Moyers & Co.: Big Media Power Play [video file], (2012). In films on demand. Retrieved on May, 26, 2015, from http://digitalfilms.com/ McManus, J.H.(N.D.). Merger Mania in the Media: Can We Still Get All the News We Need? Retrieved from http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/iie/v7n1/mediacon.html