With his latest book, Robert McChesney explains the pitfall of mega-media conglomerate relations to the White House and extolls the virtue of public participation in the media. With his latest book, Robert McChesney explains the pitfall of mega-media conglomerate relations to the White House and extolls the virtue of public participation in the media.
THE PROBLEM OF THE MEDIA: U.S. Communication Politics in the Twenty-First Century by Robert W. McChesney is a book that every world citizen should read. The insight the author makes into the big business of media domination has resounding effects on all modes of communications.
This book is a subtle reminder that citizens should always be interested in the conglomerates that move into their community and should take an active role in making certain their unique voice is heard loud and clear in Washington.
This is nothing new to McChesney readers. He makes a point of pushing his political agenda (which is definitively liberal) and this must be taken into account when reading him. That said, McChesney has made a career out of pushing a "local agenda" too. Here, once again, he explains why "locally owned and operated" should mean something to us all.
His premise is simple and the ramifications are clear... without local ownership, the agenda of a community is merely an afterthought if it even exists. As big corporations gobble up small, and Washington slips into bed with the conglomerates, we will lose our ability to be heard above the din and our needs as consumers will be ignored.
In essence, he is saying "support and protect your local media at all costs." Let your voice be heard and make certain no one takes that away from you.
The obvious point in reading a McChesney work is that it inspires people to care about the state of everything that they use to communicate. From phones to radio, television to internet, print to protest, every aspect of our world communication is in danger of being controlled by big money and governmental greed.
Control is not inherently bad or good, McChesney would argue. The lack of choice and the silencing of the local voice (or need) is the real crime. And the book ends on a positive note, as McChesney believes (and proves?) there are still enough people that care to protect the choice in viewpoints that make a democracy work.
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