A more insidious danger,according to some activists,is the
dumbing down of the news“It is generally understood that the rise of media monopolies led to a shift in editorial content,city by city,to a less confrontational,less controversial,less skeptical,and less challenging press,”said Reed Hundt,former chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.This comment,critics say,is proof that media conglomeration by large corporations subverts investigative journalism and suppresses coverage of complicated topics. Instead,news programming has shifted to infotainment - sensationalist and simplistic news aiming to entertain rather than inform.Companies' market share and profits may increase,but aren't viewers being let down?
Champions of media conglomeration say critics are missing the
big picture and thus exaggerating the dangers of corporate ownership. In their view,some programs may be weeded out and canceled during the competitive process,but in the long run,the public ends up with more diverse programming.For example,through corporate ownership, local stations