Business, Advertising, and the Social Control of News

Craig, Robert

doi:10.1177/0196859904264686

Cited by 19 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Advertisers do not only represent a potential threat to independent journalism in affluent media markets in Europe and North America (Craig, 2004), but also in for instance Uganda (Khamalwa, 2006) and Kenya, where 'negative stories are not run in order to protect revenue' (IREX, 2008, 276). In Nigeria, the oil industry is a major incentive for journalistic self-censorship -probably more so than unfortunate media laws, according to Anya Schiffrin (2009).…”

Section: Self-censorship In the African Mediamentioning

confidence: 99%

Justifying Self-censorship: A Perspective from Ethiopia

Skjerdal¹

2010

WPCC

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This study investigates self-censorship practices in Ethiopian state media institutions. Through indepth interviews with 61 journalists, the study discloses extensive use of self-censorship on the part of journalists who try to conform to the expected reporting style of the state media. The journalists are largely critical of self-censorship, but continue with the practice despite their reservations. The study suggests that editors and reporters assume a set of underlying justifications to validate the practice on a personal level and make it appear professional for outsiders. The justifications are found to follow four lines of argument: (1) relegation of ethical responsibility; (2) elasticity of journalistic editing; (3) confidence in critical audiences; and (4) adherence to social responsibility. It is further found that there is a remarkable discrepancy between the relatively open-minded official editorial policy of the Ethiopian state media and the restrictive reporting practices followed by the journalists. It is suggested that discourses of fear play a significant role in the reproduction of self-censorship in the concerned media organizations.

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Section: Self-censorship In the African Mediamentioning

confidence: 99%

Justifying Self-censorship: A Perspective from Ethiopia

Skjerdal¹

2010

WPCC

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“…A more recent study of the financial data of a newspaper that took an anti-war stance during the Vietnam War shows that it had lost 27,000 inches of advertising despite the fact that it was the best advertising vehicle to reach its audience of 20,000+ readers. The study demonstrates that when newspapers take unpopular stands, businesses will use their advertising to censor them (Craig 2004). …”

Section: The Decline Of Ideological Competition In Newspapersmentioning

confidence: 98%

Advertising, Democracy and Censorship

Craig¹

2004

Javnost - The Public

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The article develops an argument for the control of commercial and political advertising in the United States and a return to a journalism of public setvice and in support of democratic principles of communication.Based on a number of previous studies, the author describes and analyzes the impact of a business culture on the traditional role of the media, the expectations of journalism, and the rights of citizen to be informed by a range of ideas and in the spirit of a democratic existence.The future of modern society and democracy is plagued by major contradictions behveen neo-conservative (neo-classical) economic policy and the values of rational, social-democratic planning for the general welfare. Advertising is one source of these contradictions and exacerbates them through structural and overt forms of censorship. Unchecked, advertising has the potential to undermine and erode democratic practice. Thus, societies developing market economies and democratic political reforms would be well served by carefully considering and regulating the impact of advertising on their culture, media systems, and political practices.Advertising censorship must be viewed in psychological, ideological, cultural, political, social, and economic terms. In each sphere, advertising exerts different kinds of censoring pressures that undermine democratic practices and threaten democratic reforms and institutions. This article reports the results of several research projects by the author and others that examine advertising's adverse effects on U.s. American democracy.Globally, the political interests of the corporate elite and the political right are in the ascendancy with neo-conservative policies creating trends toward smaller, less powerful, and less protective government and an increasingly deregulated business environment. Indeed, under these political circumstances, calling for increased regulation of advertising might seem passe. No doubt, advertising is an essential component of the production, promotion, and distribution of goods in a market economy. Nevertheless, some advertising practices so threaten democratic institutions that some steps to regulate them must be taken. When neo-conservatives block or kill funding for public goods such as media, political campaigns, and schools, the ensuing over-reliance on advertising revenues shifts power from the public to corporations and wealthy elites. Theoretical FoundationsNot individual advertisements -which may be deceptively simple and often disarming -but the system of advertising must be addressed to understand corporate authority. The power of advertising is at once psychological, ideological, and economic. It addresses individuals, sows consumerist mythologies, and is an essential component of the political economy of corporate capitalism and its relation to state and media.Still, it is important to avoid historical and cultural reductionism. The studies reported here relate to the particular historical situation of the United States and its specific political and media envi...

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“…Media scholars within the field of political economy tend to believe that businesses use all means, such as advertising, to assert control over news directly and through self-censorship (Craig, 2004;Croteau & Hoynes, 2001). In this specific case the wall between news and business might be more imaginary or porous than journalists or the owner want to admit, though not subject to the most blatant forms of special treatment or self-censorship.…”

Section: Implications For Societymentioning

confidence: 99%

Media Innovation in a Strange Place: Newspaper Differentiation on Åland

Lindén

2015

JOMI

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This essay examines the cultural, economic and political contexts of the small but vibrant media market on the Åland islands as well as competition strategies deployed by managers at two local Finnish newspapers, Ålandstidningen and Nya Åland. The case study has a managerial framework and aims to address four questions: 1) what is the foundation for newspaper competition at Åland; 2) what institutional drivers determine the way these organisations operate; 3) how do managers experience competition and innovation; and 4) what are the implications for society?The essay is based on semi-structured interviews. The analysis shows that copying and imitation are an integral part of competition and it can be argued that competition leads to less, not more, differentiation, with highly substitutable goods produced for the same group of consumers. Imitation is known to be a common practice in the media world. There is evidence that news agendas in the Åland newspapers diverge only marginally from each other. However, it can be argued that competition is good for local democracy since there are at least two platforms available for public opinions. Local business can also gain from the fact that competition lowers prices for advertising space. In this sense a linear view of competition between media as a single explanatory framework for innovation and differentiation is not satisfactory. The dominance of one owner in both newspapers complicates the overall picture.

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Business, Advertising, and the Social Control of News

Cited by 19 publications

References 9 publications

Justifying Self-censorship: A Perspective from Ethiopia

Justifying Self-censorship: A Perspective from Ethiopia

Advertising, Democracy and Censorship

Media Innovation in a Strange Place: Newspaper Differentiation on Åland

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