The Power of the Media, Part 1: The Open Mind

The Power of the Media, Part 1: The Open Mind

In the 1990 installment of his show, "The Open Mind," Richard D. Heffner, a professor of communications and public policy, interviews Fred Friendly, Edward Murrow's chief collaborator and professor at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. During the interview, Heffner and Friendly discuss the implications of mass media, particularly broadcast journalism and its evolution into a for-profit business. While it might not have been the most visually stimulating video available on the Prelinger Archives, Friendly made some points that I believe to be pivotal for any information society student to have a solid grasp of.

Friendly points out the irony in that broadcast professionals can actually get paid more for what he deems as significantly subpar work. What he means by this is that because what is shown on television is decided entirely based on ratings, and shows with little journalistic integrity or benefit to society (i.e. reality television, hyperbolized conflict, etc.) get the best ratings, there is a higher likelihood for less educational shows to succeed. Any student who seeks an understanding of the current information society must understand this concept. These shows both reflect and can influence the average individual's perception of society in terms of moral compass, political beliefs, and social norms, acting as a catalyst for information use and dispersion.

Friendly also points out the inherent danger in putting such an influential form of media as television in the hands of a few corporations. He explains that the way that companies such as Hearst obtain licenses to television networks and radio stations is through the hands of investment bankers who essentially convince owners to sell their companies for profit, making a commission for themselves in the process. This concept of the media being bought out by so few people is just as important in understanding what drives the media that we consume today as it did back in the 90s. Setting aside the relatively recent explosion of cable television, owning the license to a particular channel gives the parent company the right to filter which opinion leaders are able to broadcast their show or points of view on their network, effectively limiting the existence of true freedom of speech in the mass media.