The media has always been a constant source of propaganda. The ‘news’; pieces of information carefully sifted through a corporate lens and used to manipulate public opinion. At a time when our major media outlets are owned and controlled by small syndicates of money makers and share holders, the need for a more diverse range of opinion is crucial if we wish to attempt to make conclusive, well-informed judgements regarding our country and the world.
This add (getupaustralia 2013), taken off the air by all three privately owned news broadcasters epitomises the power of Rupert Murdock and his ability to choose what we see. Ultimately limiting our right to democratic objectivity.
Whilst I agree that we need to see democracy within the mediated public sphere, so too do I believe that there is some sense in allowing a hierarchy of control, solely for the purpose of structure and stability. If the responsibility of administrating the media was taken out of the hands of the “relatively small universe of news producers” (Stearns 2010) and given to the general public, there would still be a need for leadership and control otherwise chaos would surely ensue. Similarly, whilst personal bias of the millionaire moguls, should not determine the content of media, perhaps mild censorship or regulation can be a good thing; limiting images and concepts which are deemed socially inappropriate.
Today, modern audiences have more power to demand the facts than ever before. With the rise of the internet and social networking, globalisation is allowing for the breaking down of barriers which once blocked information from being shown in popular media. We, in search of relatively impartial and unprejudiced information must use this new power given to us to understand the world and know that what we are told by the rich group of elite may not always be truth.
Reference List:
BradsEsacpe 2014, Get Up Australia Add Blocked – Exposing Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp,(online video), 17th February, Youtube, viewed 11th April 2014, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtJ8vy4Gczo>.
getupaustralia, 2013, Thanks Rupert Murdock but Australians can choose their own government., (online video), 27th August, Youtube, viewed 10th April 2014, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grqp-JQMFuM>.
Stearns, 2010, Does Media Ownership Still Matter,Groundswell, webblog post, 16th March, viewed 30th March 2014, <http://stearns.wordpress.com/2010/03/16/does-media-ownership-still-matter/>.
Some Spilt Ink 
I liked your insight into how the rise of social networking and the internet is helping to break down barriers among the world, I agree that it is a very important aspect in accessing information.