Curran and Seaton- Power and Responsibility

Question 1

Regulation

Answer 1

A rule or directive made and maintained by an authority (eg Government)

Question 2

Media Deregulation

Answer 2

Process in where govt removes controls, rules about how newspapers, television channels, etc. are owned and controlled. Critics of it say it can give too much power to individuals who own many forms of mass media.

Question 3

Free Market

Answer 3

Economic system w/only a small amount of govt control, in which prices and earnings are decided by the level of demand for, and production of goods and services

Question 4

Concentration of media ownership (aka media consolidation or media convergence)

Answer 4

Process whereby progressively fewer individuals or organizations control increasing shares of mass media

Question 5

Public Service Broadcasting (PSB)

Answer 5

Broadcasting made, financed and controlled by the public, for the public. Neither commercial nor state-owned, free from political interference and pressure from commercial forces.

Question 6

Globalisation

Answer 6

Process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale.

Question 7

Conglomerate

Answer 7

Large corporation formed by merging separate and diverse firms.

Question 8

Neo-liberalism

Answer 8

Term that deals specifically w/economic ideas about free markets. Characterised by free market trade, deregulation of financial markets, privatisation, individualisation, and shift away from state welfare provision.

Question 9

Surveillance

Answer 9

“Watching over” and has a string of related associations- monitoring, tracking, observing, examining, regulating, controlling, gathering data, and invading privacy

Question 10

What is the Curran and Seaton’s industry theory “Power without Responsibility?

Answer 10

“The free market makes the press a representative institution…newspapers and magazines are to respond to the concerns of their readers if they are to stay in business.”

Question 11

What are the ideas expressed by Power Without Responsibility?

Answer 11

• Freedom to publish in a free market ensures press reflects wide range of opinions and interests in a society.
• If a viewpoint is missing in the press, this is due to it lacking sufficient following to sustain it in marketplace.

Question 12

What is Power Without Responsibility for laymans?

Answer 12

Papers should reflect an audience’s interests or they’ll go out of business; should be liberal + anyone should be able to make one. Doesn’t occur in practice + the press can be used as propaganda tool to influence audience.

Question 13

What does the liberal theory of press freedom state about regulation?

Answer 13

Any form of regulation simply distorts the market and operates against the interests of both consumers and producers, and violates the private property rights valued by liberalism.

Question 14

What are the overarching beliefs presented in Power Without Responsibility

Answer 14

• Media controlled by small no companies primarily driven by logic of profit and power.
• Media concentration limits/inhibits variety, creativity + quality.
• More socially diverse ownership patterns help create conditions for more varied + adventurous media productions.