Concentration of Media Ownership

Ownership in relation to the media refers to the proprietary rights an individual, a group of persons, an institution, or an organisation exercises over a media establishment. These rights encompass the power to determine the corporate policy, editorial slant, content, and workforce of the media establishment. Media ownership confers on the key actors, who can be private individuals, governments, or organisations, the ultimate say over a media outlet’s gatekeeper function of determining what news and other information are published or broadcast.

The concentration of media ownership in the hands of a few large corporations has been an issue around the world, especially in relation to the power of the media to influence politics, public discourse, and culture. Many argue that concentration of media ownership serves mainly ...