The market place of ideas? Global implications of market-driven US media

Abstract

Well-known examples of how media owners manipulated coverage of the war during the first six months include Cumulus Media’s edict that its radio stations broadcast only pro-war stories; the firing of Peter Arnett by NBC because of one of his broadcasts from Iraq; and MSNBC’s cancelling of the Phil Donahue Show because the network believed the show would be a conduit for the liberal anti-war agenda. Lesser-known examples of ownership interference in war-related coverage have occurred throughout the United States at smaller media outlets, where reporters have been fired, demoted, or otherwise reprimanded for participating in anti-war activities on their own time (FAIR 2003).

Making the case for war: A comparative analysis of CNN and BBC coverage of Colin Powell’s presentation to the United Nations Security Council

“…Other examples of how outside forces manipulated coverage of the war abound, including an order by Cumulus Media that its radio stations broadcast only positive stories about the war, the firing of Peter Arnett by NBC because of a broadcast from Iraq, and the cancellation of The Phil Donahue Show by MSNBC out of fear that the show would overemphasize an anti-war viewpoint (Demaske, 2005). And at smaller media outlets, reporters have been reprimanded and even fired for participating in anti-war activities or speaking out against the war.…”