Nesbitt-Larking, ch. 2: "Press Gangs: The Role of the Newspaper in Canadian Political Life," 33-54.

»1. Power and Communication among Canada's Aboriginal Peoples
Two key themes:
- appropriation of voice
- reclaiming voice and speaking out

Key elements of aboriginal societies:
- oral traditions
- politics of consensus
- holistic societies
- ruptures of meaning and silences

»2. Canadian newspaper history
- revolutionary press
- partisan press
- mass literacy and the emergence of the mass press

»3. New technologies: liberalism, newspapers, and democracy emerged together

Nesbitt-Larking, ch. 5: "(Almost)Everywhere they are in Chains: The Political Economy of Communications in Canada," 109-136.

KEY ISSUES:

CONCENTRATION OF MEDIA OWNERSHIP
INCREASED COMMODIFICATION OF NEWS
SELLING AUDIENCES TO ADVERTISERS
CREATION OF CONSUMERS

MEDIA BIAS = SUBTLE (and therefore powerful?)

TRANSITION TO CAPITALISM SCIENCE, DEMOCRACY, NATION-STATE AND THE PRINTING PRESS

ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF CAPITALISM

CAPITALISM V. FEUDALISM
PRIVATE OWNERSHIP OF THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION
INEQUALITY OF RESOURCES
RELATIONSHIPS IMPERSONAL / CONTRACTUAL
INCREASED IMPORTANCE OF "SYMBOL MANIPULATION"

Nesbitt-Larking, ch. 5: "(Almost)Everywhere they are in Chains: The Political Economy of Communications in Canada," 109-136 (cont.)

CENTRAL VALUES:
POSSESSIVE INDIVIDUALISM
MORAL RELATIVISM
COMPETITION

APPROACHES TO MEDIA AND POLITICS

PLURALIST:
- stresses diversity and consumer sovereignty

POWER ELITE:
- stresses elite ownership and control

CRITICAL:
- stresses structures of dominance

Nesbitt-Larking, ch. 6: "Sticks, Carrots, and Party Favours: State and Political Regulation of the Media," 137-164.

MEDIA HEGEMONY

STATE HAS A VARIETY OF "POLICY INSTRUMENTS" TO INFLUENCE MEDIA
OWNERSHIP
REGULATION
SUBSIDY

CONSTRAINTS ON MEDIA
LIBEL LAWS
GOVERNMENT SECRECY
ACCESS (GULF WAR EXAMPLE)

POLITICS AS MEDIA MANIPULATION

POLITICS AS PUBLIC RELATIONS

"Journalism, business, government and public relations are converging with a fundamental culture of marketing that's so pervasive it's invisible. The people who are best at selling succeed the most in such a culture." Liss Jeffrey