Media Consolidation

Media Consolidation -  “Media consolidation is the concentration of ownership of our news sources into the hands of fewer and fewer corporations”(Stanford business). For us, this means less and less ways to get news from different sources. 

Sinclair Broadcast Group-   Many news sources today, are owned by monopolies. An example of a monopoly who owns a large portion of our news is the Sinclair Broadcast Group, The Sinclair Broadcast Group is a company whose “primary business is to engage consumers on multiple platforms with relevant and compelling news, entertainment and sports content”(Sinclair). The Sinclair Broadcast Group now owns and operates 294 stations that reach almost 40% of the U.S. population.This means a large majority of the news that we watch is owned by this one monopoly. Giving us the fact that our news really only comes from one large source. 

Pros and cons of media consolidation

There are definitely many different opinions about media consolidation, on one hand there are many strong pros but however on the other hand, the cons are shattering. A pro of Media consolidation, is that it can raise the quality and budget of local programing. This means that local channels have been expanding their content, quality and the money they have to improve their station for viewers. 

Some negative effects of media consolidation include the fact that all of our news is coming from one source that is not exactly trustworthy. This source owns many stations who are responsible for dividing many of the American people such as Fox and ABC Also because of Media consolidation people have stopped watching local news  

How does this affects society - Because of this monopoly of news sources it is said by a Gallup poll that only 20% of Americans have confidence in the television, news and newspapers this means that many Americans have nowhere to go for news because they do not trust the news  sources that are available to them.

Local news- For a society who use to focus more on local news it is said that national news controls the people viewership today more than ever. Local news stations are now focusing on national stories more than local stories.  

Sherman Antitrust Act-the Sherman Antitrust Act connects to Media Consolidation because its goal is to prevent monopolistic practices in the media industry which is relevant to what the Idea of Media Consolidation is because media consolidation is being caused by these monopolistic practices. 

How this affects us.  -I believe that media consolidation effects me, people around me, and my generation  negatively. If the news is only coming from a couple large monopolies, it is impossible to know if the stories and facts portrayed on the news are even true. It is almost like the news has become a dictatorship.

Conclusion - In conclusion, media consolidation negatively affects people and communities.  It can lead to people not trusting news sources like they once did. Because of very few companies owning all of the news stations, in the future this might break down the credibility of journalism and news itself. The focus on national news instead of  local stories can cut off the connection between people and the communities that they are part of . It is very important for us as a society to make sure our news becomes credible again.