Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
Media Ownership and Control:
The Business of News
Critical issues in journalism and
global communications
Week 6
Miklos Sukosd
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
Miklos Sukosd research projects
Media pluralism and diversity in China
1. Political “proto-pluralism” (Qian Gang
methodology: content analysis of party vs. market
papers)
2. Changes in media ownership
3. Regional diversification (audience shifts from
national to provincial and local media)
4. Gender coverage (women, sexual minorities)
5. Ethnic minority coverage
6. Diversification of media types and genres
(internet)
7. Historical aspects of media pluralism (from late
imperial period to Republican era)
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
Other research projects
Media and environment
- Media coverage of climate change and other
environmental issues (e.g., n China)
- Environmental performance of media
(content, impact on users; media’s own
environmental footprint)
Media and Buddhism
- How Buddhist religion is covered by the world
press?
Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
Herman and Chomsky:
Manufacturing Consent

“Propaganda model” of US media
(provocative approach as “propaganda” is associated
with dictatorship, not democracy)

Mass media in capitalist society: functions are
amusement, entertainment, information and
indoctrination – systematic propaganda.

Indoctrination: teach and impress by frequent repetitions
of ideas, attitudes, cognitive strategies, with a
professional methodology.
Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
• The media serve the ends of the dominant power
elite
• The media maintains and reproduces state—
corporate hegemony
• Multilevel effects on mass media interests and
journalists’ choices (agendas, frames, sources,
triggers)
• Indoctrinated audiences do not to question or
critically examine the doctrine they have learned
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
Five levels of filters in the PM:
1. Size, ownership and profit orientation of the
mass media: the first filter
• Media are billion dollar businesses: high entry
costs
• Media ownership: concentration and information
monopolies
• Media as business ventures: full integration to the
market
• Pressures by stockholders, directors, bankers
(investors) on content orientation
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
• Cross-ownership and control by non-media
companies (banks, other companies,
shareholders)
• Interlocking boards of directors (same people)
• Government licensing and discipline
• Military and other government R&D grants by
media owners (e.g., GE and Westinghouse):
state connections
•Joint global interests of (US) media,
government and other companies
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
2. Advertising: the second filter
• 1% in ratings: $100 M a year
• Target group: up-scale, affluent consumers on
television and in print
• Lack of positive representation of other groups
• Working class and radical media: discrimination
by advertisers
• No sponsorship for environmental programs
• Light entertainment (travel, etc.) vs. hard
journalism genres
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
3. Sourcing mass media news: the third filter
• Symbiotic relationship of media with government
sources
• PR organizations of public institutions
• Public spending for sponsorship of governmentmedia relations (paid government PR)
• Corporate/industry associations’ PR machines
• Co-opted external and internal “experts”, pundits,
representing powerful groups [Fukushima example]
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
4. Flak
• Organized negative feedback to media
• Keeping journalists and editors under constant
ideological pressure
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
5. Dichotomization: the US vs. the threatening
”Other”
• Anticommunism as the main organizing principle
of Cold War media discourses
• Journalism example: human rights in Dominica vs.
Poland
• After the fall of the Soviet Union as the threatening
“Other”: “terrorists”, “radical Islam”, Iraq, Iran, North
Korea
• Today China as the threatening “Other”?
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
Criticisms of the Propaganda Model
• Capitalist competition: for breaking news, stories,
audiences (would Watergate ever happen?)
• Trust by the audience as a market value
• Specialization of media: pluralism of media types
and genres
• Partisan media: political pluralism
• Internal division of labor: the Wall between
editors and advertisement/sales
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
• Constitutional and legal safeguards for freedom of
press
• Policy safeguards for media pluralism
• Journalism codes of ethics at the organization and
in journalism associations
• What alternatives to large media corporations, the
“propaganda model”?
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
Responses to criticisms?
Kovach and Rosenstiel: Who Journalists Work For
• Opposition of publishers and journalists in the
media organization
• Allegiance to owners OR the public?
• Who are the audiences: consumers OR citizens?
• Long-term vs short term objectives of media
regarding trust? Example: paid supplements
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Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
Ways out for peace?
1. The owner/corporation must be committed to citizens
first
2. Hire business managers who also put citizens first
3. Set and communicate clear standards
4. Journalists have final says over news (content)
5. Communicate clear standards to the public
Criticisms of Kovach and Rosenstiel
• other strategies by journalists?
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