Concentration of Print Media in Canada

Concentration of Print Media in Canada

The face of the Canadian   newspaper industry is changing vastly.   There are fewer publishing groups in today's market, and the control of most Canadian daily newspapers is in the hands of a few individuals and corporations.   As less owners become involved, fewer views will be heard in Canadian print media, and may lead to a monetary, and political based industry.   If a few companies operate the print journalism content, it is likely that only their views will be spread throughout Canada.   Ownership of Canadian papers in a few hands allows for the various daily newspapers to gain stability, due to owners having greater capital, as well as larger corporations that can prevent takeovers.   However, a limited number of owners creates fewer ideologies, and does not allow for a range of public opinion.     Concentration of ownership in Canadian newspapers creates a serious problem because it allows a few large corporations to spread their elitist views and ideologies to society, thereby shaping public opinion, while mis-representing the people through less diversity of views, and undemocratic journalism.
Concentration of ownership in Canadian print media leads to a hegemony of ideology, as owner's ideologies can overtake weaker ones.   Hegemony involves the appropriation and integration of alternative and oppositional viewpoints, meanings, and values into the dominant ideology.   With a few owners operating most of the daily newspapers, freedom of the press may cease to exist, because the press will be forced to follow the dominant ideology.   Freedom of the press, objectivity, and informing public opinion are the goals of a journalistic ideology, but this ideology is being replaced by the ideologies of the owners, for example, Conrad Black.   With Black owning a majority of Canadian newspapers, he has the power disperse his ideologies to his newspapers, thereby not allowing complete objectivity and freedom for the press.   Black follows a Functionalist view of society, which...