I have already spent a decent amount of time discussing the concept of media consolidation in my blogs. To review, media consolidation is the concept of major media sources becoming controlled by less and less organizations or companies. Currently, all mainstream media sources in the United States are controlled by six companies. Yes, only six.
This may or may not seem like a problem, however, I assure you that it is. For one, there are less perspectives offered when the media is controlled by less groups. Most of the mainstream media in the United States all share similar perspectives, and it is not one which is reflected by the average American. The voices in the media advocate strongly for heavy American intervention in the conflict in Ukraine. However, the vast majority of Americans say we are giving just the right amount of support, or giving too much.
Businesses tend to be more supportive of war due to the benefits to the economy, which benefit the profits of the business. This is likely a large reason for the strong pro-war voices that we constantly hear in the media. This is one of the problems with media consolidation.
It is no secret that the media is less trusted than ever in the United States. Americans were already losing trust in the media, but it increased drastically in the US during former President Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. While Trump remains one of the most controversial figure in America, I believe that his callouts of the American mainstream media were a beneficial thing for the American populace. As someone who believes that all authority deserves to be questioned, it is extremely important that we make sure that the news we receive is reliable.
As you can see, hundreds of news crews are all saying the same thing word for word. These clips were taken from news stations at local, regional, and national levels. The media should NEVER become this uniform. It is truly terrifying to see something such as this, as it shows just how controlled our media is. I worry that freedom of the press if becoming more of a myth than a true right of the United States.
Despite all of this, I always hesitate to encourage government interference, especially in the media. However, the only solution that I can think of is to set some kind of government regulation on the amount of media sources which any given company or organization can own. Media consolidation is slowly tearing this country apart, and I believe that it is a problem that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. A free press is the foundation of the United States, and it must be protected like the sacred right that it is.
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