Who rules //
Ownership and Control
Would it matter if there was just one company that owned all the newspapers and all the TV channels? There would still be lots of different channels, some with sport, some with documentaries, some with films, and there'd be lots of newspapers too – tabloids and broadsheets. What do you think? What if the government owned all the newspapers and TV channels? There may still be lots of different channels and papers, but nevertheless you might think that the government was controlling what you read and saw.
Whose views?
What if the owner of a media company had strong beliefs about women – if they thought women should never be allowed to work, that they should stay at home, cook, clean and be mothers? Would that bother you? Could it affect the types of films shown or what news we heard? What if the owner was racist and supported a political party with racist views? How might the owner's views affect what is being printed and broadcast?
Just as government control of the media can restrict the range of views and opinions expressed, so can the people who own and control the media companies.
Censorship or choice?
In the UK, a handful of companies own most of the media. The biggest company is the News Corporation. This company owns (among many others) The Times, Sunday Times, The Sun, News of the World and a large share of Sky Television. It provides a choice of news and entertainment, but many of the views and opinions expressed are quite similar, they are just presented in different ways.
Some people think this could be quite a problem, especially if the people that own the company have very specific political views. This could mean that just one point of view is being put across. So, even if the media aren't controlled by the government, one or two companies control most media instead. Do you think this should be allowed?
Liberia, Monrovia: A billboard reading 'Unbalanced news is also a human rights abuse', signed by former president Charles Taylor
Key Points
- A handful of companies own and control the media that people in the UK access daily.
- The biggest and most powerful media company in the UK is the News Corporation. It also owns newspapers and TV channels in America and Australia.
- Media companies tend to support one particular political viewpoint. This can have a huge influence on how people vote.
- Governments try to regulate ownership and control of the media.
Reality Bytes: The News Corporation
The News Corporation owns The Times, Sunday Times, The Sun, News of the World and part of Sky TV. Associated Newspapers owns the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, the London Evening Standard and has a share in ITN (Independent Television News). The Hollinger New Telegraph group owns the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Telegraph.
All of these newspapers used to support the Conservative Party. At election time they would cover their pages with stories about how great the Tories were and how bad Labour were. For the 18 years that the Conservative Party was in power, the Party was supported by those newspapers. Labour had support from The Trinity Mirror Group (the Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People) and the Guardian Media Group (Guardian and Observer).
Then in 1997, The News Corporation changed to support Labour in the general election. Labour won. Do you think Labour's win was caused by this?
The big sellers
The Sun is the biggest selling newspaper in the UK, followed by the Daily Mail. These two papers reach over six million people. That doesn't include people who don't buy a copy. The third biggest selling paper is the Mirror, then the Express (also Conservative supporting), followed by the Daily Telegraph and The Times.
So, in the top six biggest selling newspapers, until 1997 there was just one (the Mirror) that supported the Labour Party. That means that most newspaper readers were getting Conservative points of view and opinions. How do you think that may have affected their voting at election time? The 18 years of the Conservatives being in power may help explain that!
Interesting Facts
- The BBC gets its money from the TV licence fee. Everyone who owns a TV has to have a licence. In effect this means we own the BBC.
- In 1936 a TV cost the same as a new car!
Big Question
- Britain currently has 11 national newspapers. Years ago there used to be many more. Do you think that the internet will eventually mean newspapers will be extinct?
