Research - Different approaches in the media (put into powerpoint)

The Pluralist Approach:

• Pluralists believe that the power in society reflects a broad range of interests, with power spread among a wide variety of competing interest groups and individuals
• They believe there is no single monopoly of power because companies such as OFCOM allows media to prevent any one owner of a company from dominating by helping to control what is aired/published
• This means people have the freedom to "pick' n 'choose" whichever interpretation suits them due to the wide range of media which they can select. People have the freedom to accept, reject, reinterpret or ignore media content based on their views and beliefs
• The media is now globalised, meaning anyone can publish their thoughts and opinions online via websites such as Twitter, Blogger, Facebook or YouTube
• This undermines the marxist views of control of media content by media owners

However:

• Media owners often appoint editors, so they often share the same views, meaning that individual and diverse opinions are often not shared and there is one dominant ideology being shared
• Not all groups in society have the resources or influence to get their view across effectively
• Governments and rich individuals often have legal/political pressure to stop media which threatens their interests, meaning the public may not be told the truth or the whole story

The Hegemonic Approach:

• Suggests that the mass media spreads a dominant ideology, which justifies or legitimises the power of the ruling class
• It recognises the power of owners, but unlike the manipulative approach, it suggests the centric is in the hands of managers and journalists
• Philo says about the study of media coverage if the global banking crisis. He found that the media focused on the 3 political parties, the government and the bankers

However:

• It underrates the power and influence of owners. Owners do appoint/dismiss staff who step out of line too far, and journalists are in need of approval from editors
• Gatekeeping means audiences have little real choice of media content, as they are produced within a framework of the dominant ideology. This suggests the manipulation of audiences
• Pluralists suggest the rise in new globalised digital media and the internet has undermined the traditional influence of media owners, and out more control of media content into the hands of media users

The Manipulative Approach:

• Suggests that media owners directly control media content, and manipulate the content in order to protect their profits, and spread the dominant hegemony
• Media editors, journalists and managers have little choice other than to run the media within the set boundaries set down by the owners. So ideas or groups can be portrayed differently, or even ignored
• In 2003, Rupert Murdoch of News Corporation was strongly arguing FOR going to war with Iraq, as did his 175 other newspapers. He has "editorial and economic control", particularly editorial when it comes to major issues, including the election (right wing)

However:

• Pluralists would argue that there is a wide range of opinions in the media, and owners of the media only want to make a profit, so it is what the audience want-not the consumers
• Audiences are not that gullible, so people can accept or reject the ideas
• The state  and OFCOM regulates media ownership so that not 1 single person or company has too much influence, so it cannot be biased or one-sided reports