Media Transition Essay

The media’s transition from an information source to an entertainment commodity has transformed the media’s accuracy to evaluate government officials and to further understand societal issues. The media requires a sufficient amount of funding and content to ensure that there is a constant flow of news. So what are the influences and effects of this transition? Corporate media owners heavily influence the range of content through the policies implemented upon their employees to abide by. A corporate policy is sought as a broad set of guidelines that are formulated by the head of a corporate company that define objectives and means of desired operation. These guidelines establish a definite response for knowable complications and circumstances

Also, these rules maintain approval ratings of their intended audiences; these audiences seek particular networks to concur and reinforce their own beliefs and generate more profit. Additionally, these corporate owners are responsible for hiring/firing employees; therefore employees submit to these regulations in anticipation of a raise and in fear of losing their job. Corporate news policies direct journalist to deliver news yielding the most profit (regardless of the actual importance it bears in society.) Therefore, society receives reports within the policy’s acceptable range of issues allotted for journalistic coverage. Society’s concerns and attitudes on governmental issues are then shaped by the agenda set by corporate news networks

As a business, the news seeks advertisers to fund their media content. This leads media owners pandering to the advertisers desires in fear of losing the business of that advertiser. Advertisers expect to influence the content of the media network they invest in. This is clearly illustrated in Jay Harris’ article “What Is Missing From Your News?” Harris states, “advertising is the economic engine of the commercial media world” (Harris 161). Harris uses an example of a Chrysler Corporation’s letter as an example of the pandering of media to advertisers. This letter suggests, “It is required that Chrysler Corporation be alerted in advance of any and all editorial content that encompasses sexual, political, or social issues, or any editorial that might be construed as provocative or offensive.” In other terms, the company gave the media owners an ultimatum that either they seek approval before running a controversial article near their advertisement, and failure to do so results in Chrysler seeking competitor venues for their advertisements. In turn, the news network loses money because they failed to restrict certain content set by the corporate policy