Media Conglomeration

Powerful corporations are becoming major influences on mainstream media. Major multinational corporations own thousands of media stations and outlets. This leads to a reduction in diversity and depth of content that the public can get, while increasing the political and economic power of corporations and advertisers. An informed population is a crucial element to a functioning democracy yet these factors often work against this key requirement. This unit looks at issues such as concentrated ownership, media conglomerates and the impacts of political and economic influence on news reporting. Included are prayers and reflections, a fact sheet on Catholic social teaching and media, two group activities, a case study and discussion questions.