By John Molyneux
Why do TV companies produce The Apprentice and Dragon's Den but not How to be a Union Rep? Why does almost everyone in EastEnders own a small business? Why do all news outlets assume that when stock markets go up it's good for everyone?
And if the media are "only giving people what they want", then why do people want what they want-and is it true that that is all the media are giving them?
John Molyneux argues that the media are biased - not as in right wing but as in pro-capitalist. And, as almost all mass media are owned or controlled by either capitalist companies or capitalist states, it cannot be otherwise.
Molyneux warns against the notion that the media are all-powerful, looking at the limits to their power and the possibilities for combating them. Through critically using the mass media and creating our own media, we can contribute to the anti-capitalist struggle.
Published 2011