CMNS 240 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Herbert Schiller, Liberal Democracy, Max Horkheimer

• School: Simon Fraser University
• Department: Communication
• Course: CMNS 240
• Professor: Enda Brophy

Document Summary

1944: adorno & horkheimer essays commodi cation of culture, concentration of ownership. Pe approach is important in term of communication study (pe of communication is born) Early pec develops a theory of cultural imperialism. Liberal pluralist radical neoliberal perspectives of media and society. Representative democracy of and some form of capitalist market are the best available form of social organization. Media is essential to the functioning of democracy. Media acts as an arena for debate among different interest groups and also integrates people into society. Media also acts as a check on political power. Public policy is the best way to shape media. Public opinion is debate/ discussion and its never ecstatic. Representative democracy and capitalist markets perpetuate unequally. Representative democracy is an exceptionally limited form of democracy. Capitalist markets are inherently undemocratic and unequal since participation depends on access to resources. Media upholds representative democracy and capitalist markets, and therefore perpetuates inequality.