instrumental marxist theory on media ownership

• marxist instrumental theory - MILIBAND

  mass media represent an ideological instrument playing key role in reproduction and justification of class inequality

  media owners do this through transmitting conservative and conformist ideology in forms of news and entertainment

  role of media is to convince general public that ruling class ideology is truth and fact
• marxist instrumental theory - MILIBAND

  media owners shape and manipulate how people think about the world they live in

  media dont encourage people to be critical of capitalist system

  media representations of wealth are on a whole very positive
• marxist instrumental theory - ethnic representations 


  portray them as criminals, migrants and extremists to divide and rule the working class

  CASTLES AND KOSACK - suits capitalist class for white working class to view ethnic minorities as threat as distracts from real cause of inequality
• marxist instrumental theory


  mass media ensures people only get narrow range of approved views and knowledge, with alternative / critical views rarely heard or dismissed as extremist
• marxist instrumental theory - FRANKFURT school e.g., MARCUSE

  media owners play key role in helping control working class via ' bread and circus approach ', meaning they deliberately make sure media output is mainly entertainment-orientated so people are kept happy and docile
• marxist instrumental theory - TUNSTALL AND PALMER


  governments no longer interested in controlling activities of media owners because the class interests of media owners and political elite often overlap

  regulatory favours become the norm - newspapers owned by media conglomerate will directly support or neglect to criticise a government policy in return for failings in enforcement of media regulation
• evidence for marxist instrumental theory - CURRAN

  Beaverbrook openly stated their ideological intentions - ' run the daily mail merely for purpose of making propaganda '

  all or murdocks newspapers backing view of pro-iraq invasion

  murdoch - 'hands on economically and editorially'
• criticisms of marxist instrumental theory

  rarely explain how owner manipulation works in practice - evidence tends to be anecdotal

  only concerned about how media ownership and control relates to social class and nothing else

  assume ruling class ideology has effect in form of false class consciousness

  fail to acknowledge many journalists / editors see themselves as guardians of public interest and dedicate careers to exposing establishments

  growth of new media increases surveillance and criticism of ruling class