R W McChesney: The problem of the media

McChesney, R. (2004). The problem of the media: U.S. communication politics in the Twenty-First century. New York: Monthly Review Press. Chapter 1 Political Problem, Political Solution Mention "the problem of the media" and most people think of poor or inadequate media content that negatively affects our, culture, politics, and society. If the media were doing a commendable job, there would be no problem. But there is another meaning for the word problem', its first definition in Webster's Dictionary is "a question raised for inquiry, consideration, or solution." Media systems of one sort or another are going to exist, and they do not fall from the sky. The policies, structures, subsidies, and institutions that are created to control, direct, and regulate the media will be responsible for the logic and nature of the media system. Whether their content is good, bad, or a combination, the media therefore present a political problem for any society, and an unavoidable one at that. In other words, the first problem with the media deals with its content; the second and larger problem deals with the structure that generates that content. Understood this way, the manner in which a society decides how to structure the media system, how it elects to solve the problem of the media in the second sense, becomes of paramount importance. Such policy debates will often determine the contours and values of the media system that then produces the media content that is visible to all. I address "the problem of the media" in all these dimensions in this book. The problem of the media exists in all societies, regardless of their structure, but the range of available solutions for each society is influenced by its political and economic structures, cultural traditions, and communication technologies, among other things. In dictatorships and authoritarian regimes, those in power generate a media system that supports their domination and minimizes the possibility of effective opposition. The direct link between control over the media and control over the society is self-evident. But in democratic societies, the same tension exists between those who hold power and those who do not, only the battle assumes different forms. Media are at the center of struggles for power and control in any society, and they are arguably even more vital players in democratic nations. The political nature of the problem of the media in democratic societies is wellknown; virtually all theories of self-government are premised on having an informed citizenry, and the creation of such an informed citizenry is the media's province. The measure of a media system in political terms is not whether it creates a viable democratic society—that would be too much of a burden to place upon it. Instead, the measure is whether the media system, on balance and in the context of the broader social and economic situation, challenges antidemocratic pressures and tendencies or reinforces them. Is the media system a democratic force? Much less understood is the importance of the media to economics; this relationship with economics goes a long way toward shaping the media's political role and their relationship with the dominant political and economic forces in society. In the United States the starting point for grasping the problem of the media is seeing where the media system fits in the broader capitalist economic system. The crucial tension lies between the role of the media as profitmaximizing commercial organizations and the need for the media to provide the basis for