Concentration Of Print Media In Canada Essay

, Research Paper

The face of the Canadian newspaper industry is changing vastly. There are fewer publishing groups in today’s market, and the control of most Canadian daily newspapers is in the hands of a few individuals and corporations. As less owners become involved, fewer views will be heard in Canadian print media, and may lead to a monetary, and political based industry. If a few companies operate the print journalism content, it is likely that only their views will be spread throughout Canada. Ownership of Canadian papers in a few hands allows for the various daily newspapers to gain stability, due to owners having greater capital, as well as larger corporations that can prevent takeovers. However, a limited number of owners creates fewer ideologies, and does not allow for a range of public opinion. Concentration of ownership in Canadian newspapers creates a serious problem because it allows a few large corporations to spread their elitist views and ideologies to society, thereby shaping public opinion, while mis-representing the people through less diversity of views, and undemocratic journalism.

Concentration of ownership in Canadian print media leads to a hegemony of ideology, as owner’s ideologies can overtake weaker ones. Hegemony involves the appropriation and integration of alternative and oppositional viewpoints, meanings, and values into the dominant ideology. With a few owners operating most of the daily newspapers, freedom of the press may cease to exist, because the press will be forced to follow the dominant ideology. Freedom of the press, objectivity, and informing public opinion are the goals of a journalistic ideology, but this ideology is being replaced by the ideologies of the owners, for example, Conrad Black. With Black owning a majority of Canadian newspapers, he has the power disperse his ideologies to his newspapers, thereby not allowing complete objectivity and freedom for the press. Black follows a Functionalist view of society, which has the goal of preserving the status-quo, and producing little change in society so that it can reach an equilibrium. Functionalist views also see that change should occur from within society, with little influence from the government.

Conrad Black and his corporation, Hollinger Printing International, have recently grown larger after their takeover of the Southam Inc. newspaper chain. Due to Black’s increased share of Canadian media, calls have been made for the government to step in and place regulations on the size of media that he can control. Black rejects the view that controls be placed on his business ventures, because he sees himself as a profit minded individual like all owners of corporations. Black’s power and money allow him to control the means of production and communication, therefore he also follows the Marxist ideological system in our society, as he is a capitalist. He is concerned with maintaining the status-quo, but is profit oriented in his business ventures. With control of the majority of daily papers, Black has the ability to spread his views to society, thereby gaining political, and ideological power over Canadians. Public opinion will not remain diverse with a few dominant ideologies in the country.

Conrad Black is able to use his enormous power to spread his elitist views, and those of his ideology. Black owns 64% of Canadian newspapers, thereby giving him the final say on what will be printed in the majority of papers. Black’s ideologies strive to maintain the status-quo, and the supremacy of capitalists, therefore his papers will reflect these views. He believes society has reached an equilibrium for certain reasons, and it(society) will only change through internal forces, if necessary. Black’s dominance leads to the interests of the capitalist class being printed in papers, and those of minority classes being limited. Black does not want any other class to gain control over his own, so he limits the news that is printed of the other classes, so that they will be unable to influence the public. As news and views of other classes become limited, Black is able to spread the views of his ideologies to more people in society.

Capitalists such as Conrad Black are able to spread their views through their own type of advertising, without a reader even knowing. One such example includes numerous students who attended a journalism conference in Calgary. While taking notes from seminars and gaining useful information from workshops, these students became exposed to Black’s ideologies. The journalists hosting the seminars work for the Calgary Herald, which is a daily paper controlled by Black. As the students take notes from the journalists, they are also taking notes on Black’s views, because he ultimately controls the journalist’s views. As the students study and learn how to become successful journalists, they also learn that the owner’s form of control is the way to become successful. The student soon incorporates this type of ideology with journalism, and does not question it in the future. Black’s ability to advertise through his journalists soon results in the students following his interests.

Conrad Black’s concentration of Canadian newspapers leads to his political interests, and those of big business being printed in the majority of papers. Black has historically had ties to the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, and he continues to se