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Title: Rich media, poor democracy Reference: Producers, Loretta Alper & Margo Robb. Abstract: Demonstrates how journalism has been compromised by the corporate bosses of conglomerates such as Disney, Viacom and AOL Time Warner to produce a system of news that is high on sensationalism and low on information. They suggest that unless citizen activism can reclaim the commons, this new corporate system will be characterized by a rich media and an ever impoverished poor democracy. Library of Congress subjects: Reviews and Numerical Ratings (3) Fairly engaging account of concentration of media ownership and its impacts on democratic communication, focusing mostly on information we get from news programs. Good production, though not particularly challenging, as media convergence and synergy are pretty familiar issues and it’s presented in a straight-forward way. Good for a lower-level course to introduce the topic of media and democracy, a little light for more advanced students, but a good starting point for a discussion. Steve LeDrew (2.5) This documentary raises critical issues regarding the increasing domestic and global expansion and monopolization of corporations such as Viacom, AOL, Disney, and Sony. It debunks the rampant myth that a rich media implicitly means more democracy. The Telecommunication Act is shown to favour private media enterprises because it facilitates expansion and increases their monopoly. By showing that powerful corporations control media institutions, the video critiques contemporary liberalist and capitalists’ commitment to a free press and regulation. This documentary also exposes other inherent problems with the media. For instance, it juxtaposes street crime to corporate crime and finds that the media apply a double standard when assessing their newsworthiness. This documentary also posits alternatives to mitigate the issue in question, e.g., raising consciousness could lead the public to demand that large companies’ power be limited. Here the documentary commences to lose quality for these potential solutions are oversimplified and viewers are not provided with a strategy for ensuring the desired results. Moreover, although the expansion and monopolies of large corporations are highlighted, the video doesn’t address how these phenomena are correlated with other contemporary issues including: totalitarian culture and hegemony and the ways in which these lead to interpellation, subjugation, and domination of the public. Carlos Torres (undergraduate) (4) This film provides an in depth examination of the current state of the media in America through Noam Chomsky’s Manufacturing Consent style analysis, and effectively uses recent news clips to clarify the theoretical argument presented. It becomes quite apparent by the end of this film that neo-liberal policy has produced regulation on behalf of private interest at the expense of the public good. Although strategies for change are only briefly touched on at the end of the film, a powerful message is prescribed, that people must be organized collectively in order to challenge organized capital interests. Sarah Newman (2) Slick images, clear organization, and expert
speakers are the pluses of this well-produced video. Minuses are its
exclusively American focus (the 1st amendment, the particulars of deregulation,
the U.S. coverage of Enron, the anti-globalization movement), since
some students might be confused about certain terms or events, and the
lack of diversity of the experts. Kathy Bischoping
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