The Mainstream Media's Fundamental Problem

The media controls perception. In a fast-paced digital world, the news we consume influences our perspective on nearly every aspect of policy. However, the journalism industry follows a heavily corporatized structure—a system that quells dissent, ruins employees' livelihoods, exacerbates biases, and forces journalists to fight an uphill battle. Today, tech giants dominate the media landscape after decades of little to no opposition. Monopolization has ravaged the industry as only five major companies control the production and dissemination of information.

Broadly, media monopolies are a threat to American democracy because they eliminate local sources of news. While local newspapers still exist today, they're dying at the hands of big tech monoliths. Since 2004, over 250,000 jobs in journalism have been driven out due to the expeditious rise in privatization. The problem arises when consolidation leads to a political slant. In a 2019 study, researchers analyzed conglomerate ownership of smaller journals, finding corporate takeover made stations slant more to the right politically. The explanation is clear: less journals mean less differing opinions. A decrease in the circulation of political ideas means our democracy becomes weaker.

The concentration of media ownership reduces the diversity of viewpoints and can even suppress opinions that go against the interests of the parent company. The clearest example is when lobbying groups or private interests cloud reporting by filling in bias. Recently, coverage on the Palestinian struggle by mainstream media has been corrupted to focus on a less condemning lens of Israel. It is clear that the choice of words used by major media outlets purposefully deny and delegitimize the Palestinian cause. A 2011 study from the Glasgow Media Group found that there are fundamental differences in the way that Israeli perspectives are treated compared to Palestinian ones. The BBC featured over twice as many Israelis over Palestinian perspectives. Words like 'atrocity', 'brutal murder', 'mass murder', 'savage cold blooded killing', 'lynching' and 'slaughter' were used about Israeli deaths but not Palestinian.

Moreover, misinformation after the October 7th attacks ran rampant as well. Media coverage rarely focused on the history of conflict, encroachments of Palestinian territory, or widespread abuses suffered by Gaza before 2023. Important context was missing. Moreover, the Zionist propaganda model was adopted by western outlets. When Israel, with no evidence, claimed that Hamas was using civilians as "human meat shields", the mainstream media ran with it. However, the paradigm is shifting in today's modern landscape where many can take to social media and simply witness Israel's abuses. The mainstream media's propaganda has become less effective as a result.

Moreover, independent journalists can fight back. From Upton Sinclair to Ta-Nahesi Coates, members of the press have historically sought to expose the ruling class for unjust business dealings. Writers today ought to follow in the footsteps of our predecessors, this time exposing the malpractice in our own industry. The use of independent journalism is a strong weapon in the arsenal of aspiring journalists today, yet it is consistently underutilized. By leveraging today's digital landscape, writers can directly hold media monopolies accountable. Publishing individual content combats the oppressive control of big media by offering readers fresh perspectives, shifting their preference to supporting smaller journalism. Independent journalism is the key to fixing the many ailments of mainstream media.