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Essay on The Media's Role in Social Problems

There exists a symbiotic relationship between corporate America and the United States government. This relationship influences the organizational structure of the mass media and thereby greatly impacts the framing of social problems in our society. The mass media serves the interests of the corporate and political elite by presenting only those issues favorable to their objectives and "filtering" out those that are not. To understand how this "filtering" process works, it is necessary to recognize who actually has control of what issues are presented in the mass media and what issues are omitted. Our media is an oligopoly that poses a threat to the very idea of democracy. The general assumption of most people, that the journalists themselves control what we see and hear, is false. Rather, it is the owners of the media, who consist of the corporate and government elite that are in control

These two groups are so intertwined, having such a mutual reliance on one another; it is difficult to view them as separate entities. A clear example of this is how William J. Casey, Reagan's CIA director, gained both personally and politically from the Capital Cities/ABC takeover. Casey was both a founder of Capital Cities as well as a major political player in the Reagan administration. As a major stockholder of the corporation it is easy to see how he could possibly have used his influence to assure what was broadcast by ABC was favorable to the Reagan administration's political agenda. This example is not unique, rather, it is representative of the normal workings of big business and politics in our country.

To protect the interest of these powers, the media systematically "filters" what it presents to the American public. Issues that pose a threat to the interests of those in control are either not presented or presented in such a way that their threat is neutralized. Conservatives have gone as far as to establish "think tanks" to form conservative opinions from which they can derive their sources. In fact, conservative right wing "think tanks", such as the Heritage Foundation, come out on top in studies of most quoted "think tanks." American opinion however, is much more liberal than that of the conservative experts.

Advertising pressure is another example of a "filter". While newspapers earn 75% of their revenue from advertisement, they claim that the advertisers don't influence the

Quotes talked about in this paper

  • "think tanks", such as the Heritage Foundation, come out on top in studies of most quoted "think tanks."
  • George Orwell once said, "[True] liberty…means allowing people freely to say things you do not want to hear."

Terminology referenced in this essay
mass media, media outlets,

Television referenced in this essay
Mercury News,

Names referenced in this paper
William J. Casey, George Orwell, Reagan,

Organizations mentioned in this report
Government, Reagan administration, Heritage Foundation, CIA,

Locations talked about in this report
United States, America,

Companies referenced in this essay
ABC,

Keywords mentioned in this essay
social problems, mass media, criminal justice system, corporate, society, interests, political elite, Reagan administration, deviant, United States, big business, United States government, individual, social control, conservative, media outlets, public opinion, corporate censorship, dealerships, corporate america, automobile dealerships, Another way, to not, political agenda, symbiotic relationship, organizational structure, CIA director, Capital Cities, George Orwell, right wing, Heritage Foundation, Mercury News, grass roots, evening news, free flow, American culture, advertising, advertisers, viewpoint, tanks, fashions, institutional, corporations, malfeasance, information, oppress, symbiotically, blaming, exigent, paper,

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The Media's Role in Social Problems. (1969, December 31). In DirectEssays.com. Retrieved 13:53, May 20, 2013, from http://www.directessays.com/viewpaper/23303.html
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