Sociology Central

The Mass Media

2. Ownership and Control:
Theories
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Traditional (Instrumental) Marxism

An individual's economic position : Those who
in society (their class) influences own the means of
the way they see and experience production are the most
the social world. For instrumental powerful and influential
Marxists, society is seen in terms grouping in any society.
of a particular class structure:

: Those who
own nothing but their
, such as the
“labour power” - the ability
media, are used as a tool (or instrument) to
to work for money. This is
spread ideas favourable to the bourgeoisie
the least powerful group
throughout society. Writers such as
in Capitalist society.
Milliband (1973), argue the ruling class
has a common economic status (as
owners and controllers people who are
generally drawn from the same social
class) and cultural background, created
and reinforced through education (public
schools, Oxford and Cambridge
Universities etc.), family networks,
interlocking directorships (where the same
person is a director of numerous different Owners have ultimate control over a
companies), media ownership and so forth. company; they decide, for example,
who to employ to run their businesses.

Ownership and Control

Managers only `control' a business (such as a newspaper) in the sense

they oversee its operation. The editor of a newspaper may control things
like the stories appearing each day, the hiring and firing of employees
and so forth. The owner, however, ultimately controls the political stance
of the paper, the type of audience it aims to reach and the like.
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: One objective
is to make (private) profits.
Ownership and control, from this
position, is seen as part of the same process,
which has two, interconnected, objectives.

, in the sense of trying to control how people see the social world. This
aspect creates the conditions under which profit is not only created and kept in private
hands but is seen as legitimate (`right and proper'). One objective, common to both
owners and controllers, is to protect and enhance the interests of a capitalist ruling
class and this is achieved through the media.

The media is used as a tool (or instrument -

hence “Instrumental Marxism”) through which
ideas, beliefs and behaviours are manipulated.
Ownership and control, therefore, is used to create
a picture of the social world beneficial to the
interests of the most powerful people in society.

False consciousness: By their ability to

control and limit the information people
receive, a ruling class is able to control how
people think - both directly and indirectly -
about the things happening in society.

Iraq War: From this perspective

people were manipulated into
supporting the war on the basis of
Iraq having `weapons of mass
destruction' (which, we were
repeatedly assured, could be used to
launch an attack `within 45 minutes').
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Owners try to ensure employees reflect their views

Section cut from Trowler's book “Investigating the

Media” (1991) by the publisher HarperCollins (owned
by News Corporation: Prop: Rupert Murdoch)

Terry Boardman: “Patten

and Murdoch Quarrel - David
and Goliath Again?” (1998)

`Newland Unleashed',
The Guardian: 15/11/04
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Neo (Hegemonic) Marxism

Social class is not a static Hegemony: A concept used to show how
(unchanging) classification system;
both owners and controllers are locked into
rather, it's seen as a dynamic system a mutually beneficial structural relationship
of shifting and changing social
relationships.

Conflict, divisions and contradictions

occur within a dominant (or ruling) Owners have to Controllers
class. A simple example here might make profits this is (Managers) also
be to note how some parts of the their guiding principle see profitability as
bourgeoisie in our society are pro- (since if businesses important, since their
Europe while others are anti-Europe. are unprofitable they jobs, salaries and
may cease to exist). lifestyles depend on it.
Class associations can involve
ethnic and gender dimensions (for
example, individuals from some ethnic
groups may be economically
successful while seeing themselves, Owners and controllers have a common
culturally, as not belonging to a middle interest that binds them together, expressed in terms
or upper class). · of core values. They are likely to share beliefs about
the importance of profits, which in turn presupposes
a (fundamental) belief in capitalist economic
Professionals and intellectuals systems. Marginal disagreements may occur
(the upper middle classes) have
between these groups over such things as the most
significant roles in the class structure.
efficient way to make profits, but not over the basic
They occupy, according to Poulantzas principle of the need for profitability. Although media
(1975), `contradictory class positions' owners and professionals share a common cause in
neither wholly bourgeois nor wholly promoting and preserving certain basic values this
proletarian. This, for neo-Marxists, is a doesn't necessarily mean they always agree on the
significant idea in any explanation of best way to promote and preserve such values.
the relationship between media
owners and controllers.

Reflect their views: Editors who

insist on ignoring the policies laid down
Managers enjoy relative by their employers are likely to find
autonomy (a certain amount of themselves unemployed, unless they:
freedom to make decisions).
Transnational media companies, for
example, are too large and complex Make profits: As long as it’s legal (and some-
to be easily controlled by a single
times if it is not) the key principle is profitability -
owner/board of owners on a day-to-
some modern media owners may not care too
day basis. They employ people
much about the activities of their managers as long
(managers) who can be trusted to:
as the money continues to roll in.
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Pluralism
Social groups compete against each other in the economic
market place. For example, two types of group are:

Interest groups, an example being a business (such as a

publishing company) pursuing some economic or social objective.

Status groups, such as a Trade Union publishing information

specific to the members of a particular occupation. One aspect of
the Union's role might be to promote and enhance the reputation
(status) of its membership.

Societies involve groups pursuing their own (sectional) interests and, in so doing, they create:

Explicit competition involving, Implicit competition involving political groups

for example, different newspaper promoting different economic, political or cultural
groups competing for readers. views they want reflected in the media. For pluralists,
competition is based on the desire for power, which
can, for example, be expressed in terms of:

Economic power such

as making profits or gaining
market share.

Political power such as influencing

decisions made by governments.
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Media owners are clearly powerful players

in any society since they are in a position
to have their views heard. However,
Pluralists argue those who control the Modern (`joint-stock') media companies tend to
day-to-day running of the media are also be owned by groups of shareholders rather
powerful, for a couple of reasons. than by all-powerful individuals. Burnham
(1943), for example, argued that, where no
single shareholder had overall control of a
business, this meant directors and managers
To survive, a business must compete were the main policy-makers. Thus, the day-to-
successfully in a market place which day running of a business was in the hands of
means consumers influence the a technocratic managerial elite - people whose
behaviour of an organisation: if job it was to run a business in the best
consumers don't like - or more interests of the shareholders. This is a powerful
importantly buy - what's on offer the group, according to pluralists, because their job
seller either improves or changes their depends on knowing what an audience wants
product or they go out of business. and being able to provide it.

For Bernard and McDermott

(2002) the private ownership of
the media is significant
because it promotes
competition and diversity.

References
Milliband, Ralph “The State In Capitalist Society”, 1973

Poulantzas, Nicos “Classes in Contemporary Capitalism”, 1975

Burnham, John “The Managerial Revolution”, 1943

Bernard, Alix and McDermott, Patricia “Media Ownership Rules”, 2002

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© Chris. Livesey, 2005 - 2010

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