The In's and Out's of this Study of Second-tier News Media and Education Policy: Part One

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What's In and what's Out in this exploration of second-tier news media and their role in disseminating information about education policy?


Before answering that question, let's look briefly at the tangled web of news media ownership.  Many people and organizations, such as Free Press, are concerned the vast majority of our news media outlets ultimately are owned by six mega-corporations, listed in order of 2009 reported revenues: General Electric, which founded NBC TV and still owns a large share of the company; Walt Disney Company, which owns ESPN and ABC TV; News Corporation, which owns FOX Broadcasting Company and the Wall Street Journal; Time Warner, which owns CNN and Time magazine; Viacom, which owns MTV and Nickelodeon (don't discount either as news sources); and CBS Corporation, which owns CBS TV. Many of the major book publishers are owned by these corporations, as well.

Even smaller weekly papers and local radio and television stations may be owned by conglomerates. And just because an outlet lists Company UVW as owner, that doesn't mean that Company UVW isn't itself owned by Conglomerate XYZ.  Broadcast news outlet CNN, for instance, is owned by Turner Broadcasting System, which is a Time Warner company.

The main concern is the obvious conflict of interest involved when a non-news media parent corporation owns a news media outlet and other non-news media businesses.

Dr. William A. Hatchen noted in his 2005 book, The Troubles of Journalism, "Communications companies in recent years have ingested many news organizations, yet these same companies are involved in lobbying government and seeking government favors. In a recent election campaign, the communications industry was the sixth largest contributor to candidates, giving almost $10 million to political action committees" (62-63).

One not-so-subtle manifestation of this tangled web can be seen at the end of many local newscasts, when local anchors report on the latest Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, or Survivor developments. A generation or two ago, this would have been anathema in the world of news journalism. Today, these infomercials for the entertainment industry blend so smoothly into the evening news that most people don't think twice about their presence.

What about news outlets such as BBC, PBS and NPR? There is potential for conflict there, too. After all, when the BBC operates under the terms of a Royal Charter and when NPR and PBS receive even a small portion of their funding from the government, it could be argued there is an implicit political threat to the continued existence and/or impartiality of these outlets.

With that cautionary caveat, stay tuned for Part Two to learn what's In and what's Out for this particular exploration of second-tier media and education policy.