Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - Sociology Media Coverage of Napster Media Coverage of Napster In today’s society, there is growing skepticism about the objectivity of the media. What engenders this skepticism is a feeling of unease and uncertainty about the objectivity of news coverage. As the media and entertainment industry merge into fewer and larger global corporations, the concentration of control over the media raises serious issues about credibility and bias. Although different people have individual theories of media bias, the consolidation and control of the media by larger corporations make claims of institutional and economic bias theories resonate with critics. The institutional bias theory (IBT) is based on the belief that the media only reflects the views and biases of those in power. The theory is based on the connection between the media, reporters, and the sources that the media uses to obtain information. To function effectively, the media needs a wide variety sources to both acquire information and to check or verify the veracity of the information. The sources can take many forms, including people, data, research, and personal observation. Depending on the story, the credibility of the source will vary. What is important, however, is that information gathered from a wide variety of sources provides not only a more complete picture of a story, it also provides the necessary “checks and balance” to help insure that the information is accurate. If reporters were unable to find several sources for their stories, then their confidence in the validity of the story would be reduced. In addition, reporters understand that the public generally prefers their news to be objective and factual. By relying on and identifying sources and authorities, the media is able to gain credibility with the consumers of their service. Conversely, without credible sources, the news media could not operate effectively. With respect to the coverage of news, the IBT assumes that the primary, and in some cases exclusive, sources for the news media are bias. Therefore, even though a person may not be getting a reporter’s bias, the audience will receive a bias account because of the sources that are used for the story. Because of the competitive nature of today’s media, there is a premium placed on the “speed” of news reporting. The IBT is careful to critically question the assumption of objectivity when the medial relies on “official” sources. These “official” sources are often people or groups that are oftentimes well placed governmental official, professionals, or experts in the field. An example of the media using official sources would be a news team investigating the impact of the embargo on the people of Iraq. To find the most accurate information, these reporters may speak to a United Nations official or a military officer who has had experience in Iraq. Although these individual may have a perspective on the impact of the embargo, they certainly would project a certain institutional bias. Since “official” sources represent such a small percentage of any society, they cannot be relied on solely or exclusively for a sources of information. Evidence for the IBT has been found in studies conducted on news television shows. A three-year study of the news show “Nightline” was done to find out how many “official” sources were used as the basis for the news story during this time period. It was discovered, that up to 75% of the guests in the three-year span were either professionals or government officials, which helped give further credence to the IBT. The second major theory of media bias is the Economic Elite Bias Theory (EEBT). This theory is based on the so called the golden rule, “if you own the gold, you make the rules.” The basis of the EEBT rests on the theory that ownership and control of the media influences the objectivity of the reporting. EEBT believes that the major media companies such as television networks, newspapers, and magazines are owned by a select group of extremely wealthy and conservative individuals and organizations. It assumes that these wealthy individuals use the media to spread slanted and biased information and that they use the media as a tool of propaganda to reinforce their views and political beliefs onto others. By influencing the views and perspectives featured throughout the media, these individuals are able to superimpose their own conservative philosophy on the public. EEBT assumes that the “political class” are the most influential segment of our society, that they represents only about 20% of the population, and that owners of major media aim their message to this class. The political class is believed to have the most influence on the culture and, therefore, they will exert the most influence on other people. The media wants to project a liberal image, which is encouraged by the owners, because a liberal appearance helps to avoid greater social scrutiny of the very strong, underlying conservative influence on the media. Evidence to support the idea of owners influence has been documented by Michael Parentis in his book Inventing Reality. Parentis found that there is no free market of ideas in the media and that the media would give the illusions providing each member of society an equal voice in the media. In reality, it takes an enormous amount of money to get national exposure. It has also been found that owners of primary media outlets are conservative and are effective in exerting a great deal of control over what opinions and views are promulgated. When asked about his control over his publications, Rupert Murdoch, the owner of the Fox network, a national newspaper, and three professional sports teams, said, “My editors have input, but I make the final decision.” Other examples of conservative ownerships are abundant. NBC network owned by the politically conservative GE Corporation. The ABC network is now owned and controlled by the conservative Disney Corporation. Parentis sites the example of when Disney took over ABC, they fired critics and analysts who they found to have populist views, and did not share the views of the company. A reporter wrote “it can be difficult to fully report on America’s political and economic elite when your bosses are a member of that elite.” Also, the EEBT generally assumes that the economic and media elites agree on how our society should function. If these individuals did not agree, then we would see a mix of different messages being sent through our TVs, radios, and printed media. But there appear to be a general consensus since the message is uniform. With a general understanding of how the IBT and EEBT work, we are able to apply them to a current issue receiving a great deal of media coverage. The example is the scrutiny of the Napster music swapping company. By examining this through the IBT, one needs to identify the principal sources used by the media to cover this story. When the story broke about the basic controversy and lawsuits that were filed against Napster, the media immediately needed to identify sources to cover the story. Like in all other situations, the media contact the officials of the major Internet and record companies. They also contacted lawyers at major universities to get views on the competing legal arguments. Because downloading data and records from the Internet was a relatively new technology, there were few official sources on the side of Napster. In addition, Napster’s founder was Shawn Fanning, a 19-year-old college student, who seemed to lack the credentials that would make the public taking him seriously as a source. The record company officials, musicians, and the record company’s legal counsel all had an interest in protecting their finances. The university lawyers primarily argued traditional copyright and patent law, although many admitted that the legal principles involved were not clear. Countless interviews and quotes were forthcoming from record producers and bands such as Metalica who took an active part in commencing legal proceedings against Napster. These officials are extremely wealthy individuals who needed the media to spread the idea that Napster was stealing from music industry. From the perspective of the large institutions, the public was primarily able to see arguments and opinions of those who wanted shut Napster down in order preserve their profits. The abundant amount of news sources on this topic made the media’s job much easier and was also consistent with the views of the financially wealthy and powerful businessmen. The result was a flood of articles and commentaries, which support the music industries contention that Napster is stealing. This evidence of one-sided reporting is further supported by the fact that founder Shawn Fanning, was not exclusively interviewed until July 2000. A concrete example of the validity of the IBT is apparent in the Napster matter because the one sided view that the media has portrayed and their almost exclusive reliance on biased sources. The EBBT also applies to the Napster controversy. The EEBT would assume that the owners of the media have an interest in spreading their views about how to deal with Napster. For certain, the owners of the news media have close connections to the entertainment and recording industries and they have a strong economic incentive to make sure that these industries retain their vitality and profits. For example, Rupert Murdoch is financially invested in almost every element of the media and entertainment industry, including the record business. The initial coverage of Napster painted the company as one that threatened the economic vitality of the record business and raised serious concerns about the protection of any intellectual property rights in light of the rapidly expanding e-commerce revolution. For example, the media always championed an unregulated Internet. But once the Napster controversy threatened more traditional and financially rewarding forms of entertainment, the media raised “serious questions” about the unregulated and free exchanges of information and “downloads” on the Internet. Although proving the EBBT is often difficult without more serious analysis, the linkage between the media and entertainment industry and the treatment of Napster make a strong case for credence being given to the EBBT. Bibliography: Word Count: 1665
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