Media: The Big Six

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Society today receives almost all of its information from the media. Since the media is mostly owned by just a few companies, views and ideas can be shaped by what one sees on the internet, television, and in newspapers. Because of the monopolizations from those few corporations that own what is viewed and read, it becomes fairly easy for the general public to instantly believe what is seen just because “the newsman said so.” Mass media not only has a huge and dangerous impact on the way society views politics and members of society, but also how media can affect the youth. “Media has been around in America since 1690, when the first newspaper in the United States, Publick Occurrences, Both Foreign and Domestick, was published” ("Milestones …”). Since 1690, media has grown to unforeseen numbers. “There are six corporations in America that own over ninety percent of what we listen, read, and watch, as compared to the fifty companies that controlled the majority of the American news media in 1983. The ‘Big Six’, which consists of: Time Warner, which owns networks like HBO and TNT; Walt Disney, who controls ESPN and the Disney Channel; Viacom, who leads Comedy Central and MTV; News Corporation, which manages Fox and DIRECTV; CBS Corporation the owner of CBS News; and finally NBC Universal, which is in charge of MSNBC and the Weather Channel. These corporations dominate and regulate over seventy percent of what is watched, as opposed to the other three thousand seven hundred plus businesses that control the other thirty percent. In the movie industry, the ‘Big Six’ had box office sales of over seven billion dollars, which doubled the succeeding 140 studio industries” (Lutz, Ashley; "Who Owns The Media…”). It is clear that th... ... middle of paper ... ...aily. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. “Impact of Media Use on Children and Youth.” NCBI. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014 Lutz, Ashley. "These 6 Corporations Control 90% Of The Media In America." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 14 June 2012. Web. 11 Feb. 2014. "Milestones in the History of Media and Politics." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2014. "NBC ObamaCare Coverage." Student News Daily. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. Nolte, John. "10 Things the Media aren’t Telling You About the Zimmerman Case." Breitbart News Network. N.p., 17 July 2013. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. ---. "Timeline: How The Press Prosecuted Zimmerman While Stoking Racial Tensions."Breitbart News Network. N.p., 13 July 2013. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. "Who Owns The Media? The 6 Monolithic Corporations That Control Almost Everything We Watch, Hear and Read."LewRockwell. N.p., 6 Oct. 2010. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.

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