Marie89, Herman and Chomsky

While reading this text, I was shocked to discover that twenty four media giants control the top tier of media companies in the United States. This concept relates back to the idea that in our culture, we are accustomed to believe that we live in a free country where we may have options and choose from a variety of diverse ideas. However, this is not the case. Our concept of “different” is skewed as we are under the influence of a ruling class who controls much of what is shown through the media, and therefore much of what we believe to be true. Conglomerates utilize vertical and horizontal integration which ensures that the media is consistent, with little diverging information. Therefore, what we believe to be different is probably not as different as we expected. Even news stations that claim to be either liberal or conservative most likely have branched from the same media giant and therefore have much in common. To add to this phenomenon, filters are put in place which narrows down the types of information in the media, as well. “Messages from an about dissidents and weak, unorganized individuals and groups, domestic and foreign, are at an initial disadvantage in sourcing costs and credibility, and they often do not comport with the ideology or interests of the gatekeepers and other powerful parties that influence the filtering process” (279). This also goes back to the idea that the rich have the power in society and therefore control what is shown throughout the media. A certain ideology must have a dominant power behind it enforcing its truthfulness/believability, and that power limits who has a say in society. Because of this power, the media lacks coverage in smaller yet important stories. And it is difficult for smaller yet passionate groups to spread the word about their concerns. It is interesting to see that what we do see is what is wanted to be seen, and that we are missing out on many smaller activities that may be of great importance.