Media Imperialisim

What is media imperialism?

Media imperialism is a theory that suggests that smaller countries are losing their identity due to the dominance of media from larger nations.   It can be equated to small community shops closing down due to large superstores moving in, taking over, and having a monopoly.   As the larger media corporations begin to take over, smaller media companies are either being forced out or swallowed up. When the majority of media available in one country is that produced by a different, more dominant nation, it is suggested that the culture of that larger nation, along with its interests, displace that of the home country.

Many critics argue that there is too much media coverage of the events in a limited number of large nations as opposed to the rest of the world. This coverage may be affected by the dominance of media companies in these larger countries, which have the ability to control the content and amount of coverage on a particular issue. Critics suggest that this dominance has led to important events getting little attention, and biased information and inaccuracy within news stories.

Media imperialism is not just seen internationally.   When a small number of companies are responsible for large amounts of media output, this too may be considered imperialism. Countries including Canada and Italy are often accused of having imperialist media, since just one company in each controls a large amount of the media in these two countries.

The problem with just one company or owner controlling the media is that media output can be biased.   The owner can decide on what information is shown, as well as what to censor.   This can sometimes come down to an influence from the country's government, which may have the power to shut down the company if it does not follow the government's wishes. Other times, powerful corporate interests can influence the media, either through their influence with the government or their role as advertisers....