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The New Media Monopoly: A Completely Revised and Updated Edition with Seven New Chapters
When the first edition of The Media Monopoly was published in 1983, critics called Ben Bagdikian's warnings about the chilling effects of corporate ownership and mass advertising on the nation's news "alarmist." Since then, the number of corporations controlling most of America's daily newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations, book publishers, and movie companies has dwindled from fifty to ten to five.
The most respected critique of modern mass media ever issued is now published in a completely updated and revised twentieth anniversary edition.
'Ben Bagdikian has written the first great media book of the twenty-first century. The New Media Monopoly will provide a roadmap to understanding how we got here and where we need to go to make matters better.'
-Robert McChesney, author of Rich Media, Poor Democracy
The most respected critique of modern mass media ever issued is now published in a completely updated and revised twentieth anniversary edition.
'Ben Bagdikian has written the first great media book of the twenty-first century. The New Media Monopoly will provide a roadmap to understanding how we got here and where we need to go to make matters better.'
-Robert McChesney, author of Rich Media, Poor Democracy
299 pages, Paperback
First published May 15, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
May 14, 2010
He makes some good points, but the book is so riddled with errors and misrepresentations that it was hard to take seriously. His chapter on the Internet was particularly bad. HTTP stands for HyperText Markup Language? NO IT DOES NOT. Bagdikian is a journalism guy, so the parts about journalism and the operations of the media were great - but it was clear he was writing about some topics that he didn't understand (like the Internet).
November 9, 2021
The New Media Monopoly, Ben Bagdikian (1920-2016), 2nd ed. 2004. 299pp. ISBN 0807061875 (1st edition was 1983.)
It's dated after 17 years; there are misspeaks like saying Eisner bought Disney, and saying markup language where he means transfer protocol; he doesn't always get straight to the point and stay there. But the gist only keeps getting truer. Calls out the media for uncritically accepting the Government's calls to war.
Broadcasters got the fairness doctrine repealed in the 1980s. It had required broadcasters to devote time to discussions of serious public issues, and allow equal time for opposing views. Since then, civic discussions have virtually disappeared. p. 139.
Unlike dominators of other businesses, media dominators shape our perception of reality.
Five global firms, cartellike, own most newspapers, magazines, book publishers, motion picture studios, and radio and television stations in the U.S. p. 3. They have interlocking directorates and hundreds of joint ventures (pp. 8-9):
Time Warner (owns HBO, CNN, and 52 record labels p. 31.)
Walt Disney (owns ABC p. 16, Paramount Pictures p. 5)
Murdoch's News Corporation (owns Fox network, The Weekly Standard p. 15, DirecTV p. 28, HarperCollins p. 41. He's the largest broadcaster in Asia: 40 channels, 8 languages, 53 countries. p. 43. Murdoch helped Margaret Thatcher get elected, who then let Murdoch break Britain's media-monopoly rules, and pay no taxes. p. 39. News Corp is the only foreign corporation to ever be exempted from the U.S. law requiring U.S. ownership of broadcasting. p. 40.)
Viacom (owns CBS p. 16)
Bertelsmann (largest publisher of English-language books worldwide p. 5)
(In 1983 there were 50 dominant media firms. Now there are 5. p. 16.)
TV stations make 30% to 60% profit per year. p. 8.
In the early 1900s, journalists exposed corporate malfeasance. Then J.P. Morgan and John D. Rockefeller bought /Harper's/ and /Atlantic/; other moneyed men hired editors to write pro-corporate spin. p. 12.
In the 1990s, radio became a powerful organ of right-wing propaganda and lies: especially but not only Rush Limbaugh. p. 15. Disney bought ABC in 1995; Disney CEO Michael Eisner immediately fired Jim Hightower, the lone radio voice pushing back against all-for-the-billionaires-nothing-for-the-rest-of-us. p. 16.
As of 2001, the U.S. had
1,468 daily newspapers
6,000 magazines
10,000 radio stations
2,700 television and cable stations
2,600 book publishers pp. 16, 29
[This information was from The Statistical Abstract of the United States, which the U.S. Department of Commerce compiled and published every year until 2011, when the Obama administration ended it, for a minuscule savings of money. A corporation has continued it since then, selling it for $200 a copy, where the Government had made it available online for free.]
What was once liberal is now depicted as radical and even unpatriotic. p. 16.
It's dated after 17 years; there are misspeaks like saying Eisner bought Disney, and saying markup language where he means transfer protocol; he doesn't always get straight to the point and stay there. But the gist only keeps getting truer. Calls out the media for uncritically accepting the Government's calls to war.
Broadcasters got the fairness doctrine repealed in the 1980s. It had required broadcasters to devote time to discussions of serious public issues, and allow equal time for opposing views. Since then, civic discussions have virtually disappeared. p. 139.
Unlike dominators of other businesses, media dominators shape our perception of reality.
Five global firms, cartellike, own most newspapers, magazines, book publishers, motion picture studios, and radio and television stations in the U.S. p. 3. They have interlocking directorates and hundreds of joint ventures (pp. 8-9):
Time Warner (owns HBO, CNN, and 52 record labels p. 31.)
Walt Disney (owns ABC p. 16, Paramount Pictures p. 5)
Murdoch's News Corporation (owns Fox network, The Weekly Standard p. 15, DirecTV p. 28, HarperCollins p. 41. He's the largest broadcaster in Asia: 40 channels, 8 languages, 53 countries. p. 43. Murdoch helped Margaret Thatcher get elected, who then let Murdoch break Britain's media-monopoly rules, and pay no taxes. p. 39. News Corp is the only foreign corporation to ever be exempted from the U.S. law requiring U.S. ownership of broadcasting. p. 40.)
Viacom (owns CBS p. 16)
Bertelsmann (largest publisher of English-language books worldwide p. 5)
(In 1983 there were 50 dominant media firms. Now there are 5. p. 16.)
TV stations make 30% to 60% profit per year. p. 8.
In the early 1900s, journalists exposed corporate malfeasance. Then J.P. Morgan and John D. Rockefeller bought /Harper's/ and /Atlantic/; other moneyed men hired editors to write pro-corporate spin. p. 12.
In the 1990s, radio became a powerful organ of right-wing propaganda and lies: especially but not only Rush Limbaugh. p. 15. Disney bought ABC in 1995; Disney CEO Michael Eisner immediately fired Jim Hightower, the lone radio voice pushing back against all-for-the-billionaires-nothing-for-the-rest-of-us. p. 16.
As of 2001, the U.S. had
1,468 daily newspapers
6,000 magazines
10,000 radio stations
2,700 television and cable stations
2,600 book publishers pp. 16, 29
[This information was from The Statistical Abstract of the United States, which the U.S. Department of Commerce compiled and published every year until 2011, when the Obama administration ended it, for a minuscule savings of money. A corporation has continued it since then, selling it for $200 a copy, where the Government had made it available online for free.]
What was once liberal is now depicted as radical and even unpatriotic. p. 16.
September 19, 2016
This startling book demonstrates that five major media corporations have more power than any part of the federal, state, or local government in the United States, and that the picture of the world that the U.S. receives is nothing like the picture of the world as it actually is, or as other countries perceive and experience it.
It is a very troubling book, but it also explains the reasons for the conservative domination of the media over the past 25 years and how corporations shape the world in a way that's most profitable to them. It also shows how ignorant and easily misled the American public is, and the huge degree to which it's not aware of what's really happening in the world.
Essential reading but very depressing.
It is a very troubling book, but it also explains the reasons for the conservative domination of the media over the past 25 years and how corporations shape the world in a way that's most profitable to them. It also shows how ignorant and easily misled the American public is, and the huge degree to which it's not aware of what's really happening in the world.
Essential reading but very depressing.
August 24, 2013
I work in the media industry so was excited to see this was updated. While I agree with the chilling effect of too centralized media ownership, I felt this was not sufficiently updated and relevant for the 21st century. Too much time spent talking about 'dead tree media' and television and dated examples (and railing on conservative politicians and policies), not enough time really parsing out effects of digitization of media (it's not just 'young people' anymore).
Perhaps the next edition will do so - or read this book as a foundation then read Clay Shirky's books (and those in a similar vein) as companion to get a better understanding of the bottom up effects digital media could have on the foundation of centralized ownership of 'mass' media.
Perhaps the next edition will do so - or read this book as a foundation then read Clay Shirky's books (and those in a similar vein) as companion to get a better understanding of the bottom up effects digital media could have on the foundation of centralized ownership of 'mass' media.
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June 30, 2010The New Media Monopoly by Ben H. Bagdikian Den Emeritus (2004)
November 21, 2019
The overall theme of the book is quite relevant - the media is still a giant oligarchy. However, since the medium has changed to the internet the book comes across as quite dated. There are lots of interesting historical tidbits that show the bias and manipulation. For example, the invention of the Spanish-American War as well as the manipulation that occurred during the search for wmds during the last Gulf War. Some of the facts are incorrect which distract from the overall narrative.
This book makes a good complement to "How they rule the world" by Pedro Banos and furthers some of his examples about the media.
This book makes a good complement to "How they rule the world" by Pedro Banos and furthers some of his examples about the media.
July 24, 2020
Excellent expose of the manipulation of American society through the all powerful media. Bagdikian demonstrates how a few companies control the vast majority of what Americans watch, see, and listen to, through a historical lens of media from the creation of the republic up until today (well, 2003 anyway.) Things have only gotten worse since this was updated ~20 years ago, but overall the message holds up remarkably well considering the Internet was still in its relative infancy around the millennium.
January 14, 2018
The first edition was of the best books I read in my political science career. The framework that it give you for thinking about the issues makes it continue to be relevant even as the media landscape changes rapidly.
January 23, 2020
There were a lot different examples about power of the media and close connection to politics that I had not heard before. That made the book much more valuable and proved the point of the Media and its influence
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December 17, 2022humble dominance
media power is political power
media power is political power
April 5, 2023
Журналистика, СУ, бакалавър, 4 курс, летен - 8ми семестър, предмет - Нови медии
February 29, 2024
Overall super informative. A bit of a difficult read for me and struggled to motivate myself through parts of it, but it had a lot of great information even though it is a little out dated.
January 10, 2014
This was one of those books that was suggested to me by a college professor regarding media consolidation and ownership. I probably should have taken the hint and read it then because now a lot of it felt pretty redundant knowing what I know as someone who has worked with the independent media center.
That said, there were definitely chapters in this book that helped clarify things and also exposed me to some mini histories. I did appreciate that. Two chapters that stick out for me are one about the big five media owners today and their rise to power and the second is about Gannett's newspaper chain. Seeing as I am from Rochester, NY it was pretty great to get a critical history of the newspaper company turned into a chain sans meaningful local content. (This year the D&C removed the local section, combined what was left with the feature section and put a usa today insert in. Absolute rubbish.)
Anyway, Bagdikian is a solid writer, explains consolidation and ownership without getting needlessly jargon-y and tells a compelling story with a good amount of examples and research. The downside was his liberal slant where he holds this view (at least in the book) that if we just vote who we want into power and who we don't want out of power, then things will be great and media will be saved. Ok, I'm paraphrasing, but that was his paraphrased solution. Ugh. The other thing I felt that was lacking from this, especially in the last chapter about what to do, was the history or at least the blips of independent media and anti-corporate media actions to call attention to and demand change regarding this consolidation nonsense.
Not bad if you want to know more about media ownership.
That said, there were definitely chapters in this book that helped clarify things and also exposed me to some mini histories. I did appreciate that. Two chapters that stick out for me are one about the big five media owners today and their rise to power and the second is about Gannett's newspaper chain. Seeing as I am from Rochester, NY it was pretty great to get a critical history of the newspaper company turned into a chain sans meaningful local content. (This year the D&C removed the local section, combined what was left with the feature section and put a usa today insert in. Absolute rubbish.)
Anyway, Bagdikian is a solid writer, explains consolidation and ownership without getting needlessly jargon-y and tells a compelling story with a good amount of examples and research. The downside was his liberal slant where he holds this view (at least in the book) that if we just vote who we want into power and who we don't want out of power, then things will be great and media will be saved. Ok, I'm paraphrasing, but that was his paraphrased solution. Ugh. The other thing I felt that was lacking from this, especially in the last chapter about what to do, was the history or at least the blips of independent media and anti-corporate media actions to call attention to and demand change regarding this consolidation nonsense.
Not bad if you want to know more about media ownership.
August 28, 2014
Much like Bagdikian's other book, "In the Midst of Plenty" I was pretty excited to read this. I wanted it to be better than it was. It's not that the topic is unimportant--the way the media monopoly dictates what information we receive--it's just that the book doesn't really break any new ground. There are a few gripping and fascinating passages, but overall, it's pretty lackluster.
So, if you want a basic, beginners primer on what is meant by the phrase "media monopoly", than this book is for you. If you're looking for an in depth analysis, non so much.
So, if you want a basic, beginners primer on what is meant by the phrase "media monopoly", than this book is for you. If you're looking for an in depth analysis, non so much.
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July 30, 2016Showing its age a bit. A bit too much sermonising.
Drives home the essential point - that media is no longer free because ownership is so condensed (into the hands of half a dozen billionaires). And explains the buying of parliaments by corporations which has allowed this to happen.
All good. But I wonder if Robert McChesney might be fresher & bolder: I'll dip into him next.
Drives home the essential point - that media is no longer free because ownership is so condensed (into the hands of half a dozen billionaires). And explains the buying of parliaments by corporations which has allowed this to happen.
All good. But I wonder if Robert McChesney might be fresher & bolder: I'll dip into him next.
March 9, 2007
A classic, and updated for the 21st century -- this book is the seminal work on the state of media concentration in the United States and worldwide, written by a longtime journalist and journalism professor who knows the story full well from the inside out. A must!
September 5, 2008
Not as good as the original
September 20, 2008
Monopoly...like you never knew it was played!
February 6, 2009
I now know and believe completely that the media is the most powerful political force in the world. We need NPR!
March 14, 2009
"Manufacturing Consent" is a much better critique.
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August 16, 2010high
June 2, 2016
The Radical Reviewer did an excellent review of The New Media Monopoly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsJi4...
August 25, 2021
a prophetic book in various subjects still very interesting
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews