Media Capture: How Money, Digital Platforms, and Governments Control the News

by Anya Schiffrin (editor)

Who controls the media today? There are many media systems across the globe that claim to be free yet whose independence has been eroded. As demagogues rise, independent voices have been squeezed out. Corporate-owned media companies that act in the service of power increasingly exercise soft censorship. Tech giants such as Facebook and Google have dramatically changed how people access information, with consequences that are only beginning to be felt.



This book features pathbreaking analysis from journalists and academics of the changing nature and peril of media capture--how formerly independent institutions fall under the sway of governments, plutocrats, and corporations. Contributors including Emily Bell, Felix Salmon, Joshua Marshall, Joel Simon, and Nikki Usher analyze diverse cases of media capture worldwide--from the United Kingdom to Turkey to India and beyond--many drawn from firsthand experience. They examine the role played by new media companies and funders, showing how the confluence of the growth of big tech and falling revenues for legacy media has led to new forms of control. Contributions also shed light on how the rise of right-wing populists has catalyzed the crisis of global media. They also chart a way forward, exploring the growing need for a policy response and sustainable models for public-interest investigative journalism. Providing valuable insight into today's urgent threats to media independence, Media Capture is essential reading for anyone concerned with defending press freedom in the digital age.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction

298 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 22, 2021

Reviews

[Kim Cabrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Media Capture gives an insider look at the issue of media takeovers by entities that have an interest in manipulating what information is fed to the public. The book is a collection of chapters written by different authors, all from various fields involved in the media.

Each chapter examines one aspect of media capture. Taken together, they give an overall picture of how media is influenced by outside forces worldwide. It’s not just social media, but also print and television, etc. The influencers can be government or private. All have their own agenda and message.

The picture looks bleak and I found myself feeling a bit overwhelmed with the extent of media capture happening globally. It is something to think about long and hard. Which media outlets are free from outside influences? Which have been ‘captured’ by interests whose goal is not specifically to deliver straight news? As media consumers, it is up to each of us to carefully vet each source that we consult. This becomes more difficult as the ownership of each outlet becomes murkier.

The authors are journalists and also scholars who study this phenomenon. Their combined experience brings a thorough picture to the reader. There are chapters about the U.S., but also other countries such as India, Turkey, and the UK. The chapters document the many alliances between the media and government in these countries. It is written in a documentary format and does not seem to take one side or the other. As a reader, I think I bring my own biases to the story. To me, the marriage of government and media is distressing. So, I may interpret some things as negative, while another reader may come away with a different perspective.

Overall, this book paints a picture that more media consumers need to be aware of. Most of us are aware of the influence of social media, but we also need to pay attention to the more traditional media, such as newspapers. The affects of outside influence can creep in anywhere. It is up to the consumers to be wary of our sources of information these days.

Highly recommended if you are interested in the truth behind media capture and how this can influence public opinion.

[Ruslan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It reads very fast. In fact, the topics covered in the book are very timely and give a good look at the media environment in the United States.

While the main focus is on the United States, the media, and how the media and big companies enter into - to put it mildly - unpleasant alliances in the name of visibility and profit, this book is not hate. On the contrary, the articles and essays collected in this book are by authors who have extensive experience and know what they are talking about.

The authors draw from their experience and participate in media life. There are interesting data and tips for the whole field.

Thanks to the publisher, Columbia University Press, for giving me a glimpse via NetGalley of this book before it is published.

[Michael Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good book on media and how the news we get is controlled. The book covers all the media from newpapers, tv news and social media news. There is given a clear view of how govenment and media combine to controil what we see and watch. They can control our emotions and values by showing what they deem necessay for the public to see. This book is quite an eyeopener.I recpmmend this book for all who question what we see and hear and question. I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley as a reviewer but my thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Dylan Groves]

After chapters by josh marshall and felix salmon, i read the chapter by andrew sullivan with great interest before it became clear that it wasnt the andrew sullivan i thought it was.