 www.araustralia.org |
Alternative Radio (Aust.) PO Box 780 Morwell Victoria 3848 Australia tel. 61-3-5134-8556 mob. 61-413-597-828 inquiries@araustralia.org |
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www.araustralia.org |
Alternative Radio (Aust.) PO Box 780 Morwell Victoria 3848 Australia tel. 61-3-5134-8556 mob. 61-413-597-828 inquiries@araustralia.org |
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"Information," Jefferson told us, "is the currency of democracy." What is the impact on democracy when currency is owned, printed, packaged and distributed by a handful of megacorporations? Corporate control of media is at unprecedented levels. Bottom-line considerations dumb down the news and narrow the range of opinion. Politically, the powerful broadcasting lobby pretty much gets what it wants. Conservative New York Times columnist William Safire decried "the giveaway of our digital spectrum" to the media moguls.
Robert McChesney is professor of communications at the University of Illinois and one of the country's foremost experts on issues of media and democracy. He writes extensively on broadcasting history and media policy. He is co-editor of Ruthless Criticism and author of Telecommunications, Mass Media, and Democracy, The Global Media and Rich Media, Poor Democracy.
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