The creative and digital media industry has grown significantly over the years, especially with the use of the internet and smartphones that allow the audience to access there favourite newspaper, magazine, radio station, program whenever they like. This technology advance has put a lot more power into the hands of such people as Rupert Murdoch, Richard Desmond, and Silvio Berlusconi (to name a few in particular!) And I feel this has some very worrying consequences. I feel this way because due to the fact these big media moguls owning such vast chunks of the media playground they can play whatever propaganda they fancy to the public, and then recycle this onto many of there various other ventures. This then poses the problem of 'is what I'm reading true anymore? -This should be the question that people are asking themselves but unfortunately this is not the case.
Some examples of cross media ownership could be Rupert Murdoch, who I have only realized on what a giant scale News Corporation controls the media and other ventures that influence public decisions, a few of his ventures include 20th Century Fox, Fox News, Shine Group, Star TV, Sky, BSkyB, AmericanIdol.com, The Sun, The Times, Sunday Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Post. The ventures listed don’t even amount to 5% of what News International own or have a stake in.
Murdoch previously owned News Of The World but after recent events the paper was convicted of a phone hacking scandal, this blew the doors off the whole organization and how it had hacked politicians, heads of police, parents of deceased children and there own personal mobiles, upon other numerous organizations.
Murdoch previously made this statement ‘Our reputation is more important than the last hundred million dollars.’ – I don’t agree with what he’s said here, obviously he must have been cared about the last hundred million dollars as he was greedy and in the end was found out and his corporations name has been smeared, also this man must have been aware these hacking's were taking place. And still he let the reputation of the News Of The World go to dirt, just so his whole corporation was kept away from the falling shares. Selfish!
The scandal also incriminated corrupt police who took bribes, and not to forget Andy Coulson who was the head of communication for the Conservative Party. Andy was still on News Corporations’s payroll and hadn’t declared this at the time of his appointment – would delicate information could this man have seen?
Silvio Berlusconi is also a very powerful man, in a very powerful position. As Italy’s current prime minister and also the founder of company MEDIASET, this man owns a vast empire of television channels including the vast company Endemol. The power that is occupied by this man is crazy – this man could produce such political propaganda through his news platforms, just to benefit his campaign to remain as prime minister. Bunga Bunga Party!
A slightly different cross media ownership would be that of Sony Corporation, despite the fact this company isn’t the product of one man, the list of subsidiaries connected to goes on and on. Here are some ventures owned by Sony and I’m sure you’ll agree on the fact that it’s crazy on what they own.
Here’s some of the big ones Sony Pictures Entertainment, Columbia Pictures, MGM Pictures, MGM Music, MGM Television, United Artists, Sony Music Entertainment, Columbia Records, Syco Music. And a few I’m sure you haven’t heard Sony Energy, Sony Chemicals, Sony Finance, Sony Marketing, and Sony Semiconductor. And again this is just naming a few.
When thinking about the fact Sony Corporation produces all aspects of the entertainment and technology industry therefore selling products by advertising something else. For Example -
• Sony Pictures or Columbia Pictures Produce a film
• Sony Music then use there catalogue on the soundtrack
• Sony Pictures then Distribute the film on through there links with cinemas
• Sony Home Entertainment then produce DVDs, Blue-ray and soundtracks
• Sony Corporation also have a massive control over it’s PR
I mean sure there are public organisations in place (OFCOM, ASA, Press Complaints Commission etc) these bodies are there to make sure that these organizations are doing things legally and by the book. One recent notable occasion is OFCOM having to investigate News Corporation's bid for a controlling stake in BSKYB after the controversy surrounding the phone hacking scandal at News of the World.
Here’s a statement on Ofcom written in a BBC article, it highlights their responsibilities as a governing body of those holding a broadcasting license.
‘Ofcom has a statutory and continuous duty to ensure that any holder of a broadcasting license is fit and proper. It can launch an investigation into this question at any time of its choosing.’
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