When watching the “Minority Media” segment on Bill Moyer’s Journal website, I pondered the way media has so much power in our country and the way it can suppress the views of the minority. As member of the white race, the question of media ownership does not affect me as much as it affects African Americans. As a woman, however, I am still a part of the minority in media. In the past I have chosen to ignore the fact that are media is largely dominated by powerful, white men. There are more women in the media these days, leading us to believe that women have achieved equality; but our Mass Communication textbook clearly points out that there are still no women executives, so we still have a long way to go to gain equality in the media. Most people assume that we are taking care of the minority population with affirmative action and similar laws. This news segment showed me that less than half of the radio and TV stations are run by African Americans. These are most often independent stations that broadcast news concerning the African American population. This news is often ignored by the big media companies, which are run by white people. I feel like I am always hearing something about how women and minorities are under-represented in the media and work force; one would think that something would be done about it by now. The big media conglomerates do not seem to want any change. The cost of running the station is so high that it is becoming more difficult for independents to own a station, so big business corporations take over because they can afford the high costs. The media is starting to combine and be run by the same people. The majority of people who own and run corporations are white men; therefore those who own and regulate the media are also white men. The news stories that are broadcast will most likely reflect the interests and opinions of the people like them. Any news of interest to minorities is either ignored or given less attention than is deserved. This brings to mind the passage written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels about the ideas of the ruling class. They state that “the class which is the ruling material force of society, is at the same time the ruling intellectual force.” The media in our country presents stories that they want society to be most concerned with at a given time. This media is controlled by the same class of people who are the authorities in our nation. These are the people who can afford expensive political campaigns for office, own many businesses, or were born into wealthy, white families. Marx and Engels say, “The class that has the means of material production at its disposal has control at the same time over the means of mental production, so that… the ideas of those who lack the means of mental production are subject to it.” The media is the “means of mental production” in our country. As the video from Bill Moyer’s Journal suggests, African Americans and other minorities somewhat lack the means of mental production and they are subject to the ideas and opinions of the majority. I may not be African American or Hispanic, but I am annoyed every time I hear of this problem in our country. The United States still has a long way before it can truly have equality. For me, just being a white woman doesn’t really make me equal to the white men. They are more likely to get the jobs I want in Graphic Design and Advertising, just for being male. I suppose I’m lucky that I don’t have to deal with prejudices against my race. I just hope that in trying to combine ownership of media, they don’t completely shut out the ability of minorities to broadcast their views and have their voices heard.
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