Understanding the Modern Mass Media

When the first edition of The Media Monopoly was published in 1983, critics called Ben Bagdikian's warnings about the chilling effects of corporate ownership and mass advertising on the nation's news "alarmist." Since then, the number of corporations controlling most of America's daily newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations, book publishers, and movie companies has dwindled from fifty to ten to five.

"Ben Bagdikian has written the first great media book of the twenty-first century. The New Media Monopoly will provide a roadmap to understanding how we got here and where we need to go to make matters better."
-Robert McChesney, author of Rich Media, Poor Democracy

"No book on the media has proved as influential to our understanding of the dangers of corporate consolidation to democracy and the marketplace of ideas; this new edition builds on those works and surpasses them."
-Eric Alterman, author of What Liberal Media?

Praise for earlier editions

"Bagdikian's The Media Monopoly has been, through six editions, an invaluable work for anyone interested in media's role in the society. Students simply must read this book, and teachers must teach it. We're very fortunate that a new edition is on its way."
-Charles Whitney, professor, School of Journalism, University of Texas at Austin and coauthor of MediaMaking: The Mass Media in a Popular Culture

"Bagdikian's book is eye-opening; it lays out very specific consequences of the corporate voice on the news. I have found its contents useful in teaching critical thinking to undergraduates, and the book itself has been an excellent graduate text for discussing corporate advocacy."
-Josh Boyd, assistant professor of communication, Purdue University

"An uncompromising look at the commercial dynamics of the mass media that is as disturbing as it is fascinating. Essential reading for all students seeking to understand the social psychology of mass communication within its broader economic and historical context."
-Romin W. Tafarodi, associate professor of psychology, University of Toronto

"Bagdikian's insights into damages caused by corporate ownership of mass media are essential to any examination of America's press-his vivid, relentless accounting of corporate greed, lust for power and contempt for the First Amendment make me weep for democracy."
-Tim Pilgrim, associate professor of journalism, Western Washington University

"Like no other text I have seen, Ben Bagdikian's The Media Monopoly lays out the consequences of the trend toward consolidation of ownership for media industries, audiences, and society-at-large in a way that engages students and inspires them to become involved in this important public policy debate."
-Miriam J. Metzger, assistant professor of communication and associate director of the Center for Film, Television and New Media, University of California, Santa Barbara

"Ben Bagdikian's critique of conglomeration in the media industry has become one of the classic arguments of media studies. The Media Monopoly is a must-read for anyone interested in the social role of media institutions today."
-Jonathan Sterne, assistant professor of communication, University of Pittsburgh