6 Corporations Control 90% of the Media in America • Hacker News Board

Re: 6 Corporations Control 90% of the Media in America

#131

Post by TheCoelacanth » Mon, Jul 03, 2017, 2:54 AM UTC

alexandercrohde wrote: post #75

_red wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>But if one of these companies somehow bought youtube from google, that'd be bad, because consolidation (especially around distribution of information) is typically bad. So youtube2.com can never be created? How long has Instagram been around? Furthermore, your premise is financially flawed. How is the bankrupt NYT going to buy google? The MSM is turning into the "horse buggy whip" situation. Its an old, out-dated in…

The point is that big companies with financial backing will use market advantage to stifle competition before it gets a chance (e.g. buying up the spectrum for cell phones, lobbying to prevent broadband competitors, patenting very basic concepts, buying up competition in its infancy). You can argue they missed the boat on buying youtube and putting it to their own ends (e.g. YouTube prime is only comcast subscribers)…

We need to start enforcing the Clayton Act again. It forbids any mergers or acquisitions that might substantially lessen competition in any line of commerce or in any activity affecting commerce in any section of the country. Taken literally that would prevent almost all acquisitions of any large companies that in any way compete with each other.

Re: 6 Corporations Control 90% of the Media in America

#132

Post by ableton » Mon, Jul 03, 2017, 3:42 AM UTC

Maarten88 wrote: post #28

A big difference between the US media and the rest of the developed world seems to be a complete absence of state-owned/subsidized/run media. To me, this seems much more problematic than the limited competition between corporate media. In the US, it seems that news/stories/investigative reporting without some commercial interest to some company tends to go underreported. There is no money in being critical towards bu…

Netflix shows all kinds of stuff about how food and big business can be bad. Since they subsist on fees alone, and not on advertising, I guess they can be more free to show what people want. The good news is that with the internet, you are free to access whatever news source you want. I personally don't even have a TV subscription, because I can find what I want without annoying ads online anyways.

Re: 6 Corporations Control 90% of the Media in America

#133

Post by Retra » Mon, Jul 03, 2017, 4:27 AM UTC

nogbit wrote: post #116

rdudek wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Curious what are your sources. I have a few friends who are also anti-big news outlets and they link me to their alternative sources, which some of them are VERY ultra-right-wing outlets.

Why let your self get wrapped up in global or national issues (real or fake). Instead, focus your efforts locally on things that make a difference to you every day.

Local things make no difference to people who end up moving every few years.

Re: 6 Corporations Control 90% of the Media in America

#134

Post by skrowl » Mon, Jul 03, 2017, 4:53 AM UTC

rybosome wrote: post #102

skrowl wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Internet media is the new media. Check out DrudgeReport.com, breitbart.com and InfoWars.com. If you're looking for something on your TV, your only hope is OANN, but most cable providers don't carry them yet.

Drudge and Breditbart may peddle a narrative that's more pleasing to you than mainstream media, but it's very biased and sensationalist.

The OP is about media that isn't owned by one of the big 6 mega-corps, not about media that is bias-free. There's no such thing as bias-free media, because media is written / edited / produced by humans who inherently have bias.

Re: 6 Corporations Control 90% of the Media in America

#135

Post by matttproud » Mon, Jul 03, 2017, 5:40 AM UTC

sethjgore wrote: post #124

Symmetry wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, no they certainly don't have the best interests of America at heart but mostly they're driven by greed. The owners of US newspapers are generally happy to give their news in liberal cities a liberal slant and their news in conservative cities a conservative slant. The problem used to be a lot more intense than it is now with competing newspapers being mouthpieces for competing political parties. But the rise of…

What do you mean regarding "philosopher kings"?

It's a term from the Socratic canon: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosopher_king

Re: 6 Corporations Control 90% of the Media in America

#136

Post by rorykoehler » Mon, Jul 03, 2017, 7:27 AM UTC

rdudek wrote: post #56

ytNumbers wrote: post #40

Some might ask why this matters. The problem with these six mega-corporations is that they are controlled by a handful of billionaires and a few distasteful foreign governments that do not have the best interests of Americans in mind. These corporations own the US legacy media outlets (e.g., CNN, MSNBC, FOX, etc) and most of the larger online US news sites. They have, in my opinion, been quite effective at brainwashi…

Curious what are your sources. I have a few friends who are also anti-big news outlets and they link me to their alternative sources, which some of them are VERY ultra-right-wing outlets.

Do you need sources for this? It was always self evident to me that people setup media companies in an attempt to own the narrative and somehow gain an advantage. What other reason could there be?

Re: 6 Corporations Control 90% of the Media in America

#137

Post by basch » Mon, Jul 03, 2017, 2:14 PM UTC

skinnymuch wrote: post #99

The point of the post still stands with control mostly being in the hands of a few corporations, but it is really outdated. The article does mention AOL isn't owned by Time Warner anymore and Comcast owns NBC Universal along with GE never owning Comcast. Here are the corrections I can point out. I'm not trying to be pedantic or douche. Just in case someone wants to know up to date info and a bit more info on the cont…

exactly. Leaving out Sony, Advanced Publishing, iHeartMedia, Hearst, Gannett, tronc, Meridith invalidates the number 6.

what's worse is that iHeart is even in the infographic, but the graphic author conveniently decides not to count it

Re: 6 Corporations Control 90% of the Media in America

#138

Post by frgtpsswrdlame » Mon, Jul 03, 2017, 3:09 PM UTC

brightball wrote: post #130

Mikeb85 wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

'Austrian' economics.

Failed how?

Austrian economics is just an outdated theory. Principles of Economics and Das Kapital were written within about four years of each other and while time was poking holes in Communism it was doing the same to Austrian economics. Here's a good argument against the Austrian school if you're really interested.

http://econfaculty.gmu.edu/bcaplan/whyaust.htm

Re: 6 Corporations Control 90% of the Media in America

#139

Post by m52go » Mon, Jul 03, 2017, 3:36 PM UTC

Mikeb85 wrote: post #118

brightball wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From what I've read on Mises they are big on numbers, data, citing sources and logic. They don't deserve to be grouped with the others.

Mises are shills for failed economic theories and peddle dumb conspiracy theories.

You're free to criticize their economics, but their bias for everyday news tends to be more objective than that most others.

Re: 6 Corporations Control 90% of the Media in America

#140

Post by jazzyk » Mon, Jul 03, 2017, 3:47 PM UTC

frgtpsswrdlame wrote: post #138

brightball wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Failed how?

Austrian economics is just an outdated theory. Principles of Economics and Das Kapital were written within about four years of each other and while time was poking holes in Communism it was doing the same to Austrian economics. Here's a good argument against the Austrian school if you're really interested. http://econfaculty.gmu.edu/bcaplan/whyaust.htm

So Newton's Laws of Motion are just "an outdated theory" because they were published in 1686?

And, I am sorry, but the paper you quote is just pseudo-intellectual drivel. If I could decipher anything from it, it boiled down to "because there is no such thing as perfect free market, therefore Austrian School is flawed".

Or something like that.