Paul J. Balles looks at the hazards of relying on the mainstream media,
which are increasingly concentrated in the hands of a small number of conglomerates and moguls, such as Rupert Murdoch,
and suggests some websites and commentators in alternative media.
For me, as a journalist,
the web offers the most interesting and often most reliable sources because they are shorn of the consensual bias,
and a censorship by omission,
that pervades broadcasting.
– John Pilger
Today, increasing numbers of people have become fed up with lies, omissions and cover-ups
by both governments and the mainstream media.
One reason for the current interest in WikiLeaks
is the fascination of confidential and embarrassing secrets exposed.
What constitutes the mainstream media?
Twenty years ago several journalists expressed concern
that the number of major news sources in America had diminished to 50.
Murdoch’s dominance
Today, conglomerates have bought up most of those news sources;
and the number of major news sources has been reduced to six!
These six control all the news reported in America and much of what gets reported in the UK and Europe.
Rupert Murdoch, one of the world’s biggest media moguls,
owns outlets in
Australia,
England,
Asia,
and the USA.
Murdoch’s News Corp. holdings now include a lion’s share of the newspaper industry in Australia,
plus about one-third of British newspapers,
and in the US he has film and TV interests,
newspapers,
book publishers,
sports teams,
and much more.
According to Britain’s Daily Telegraph, concerns about Murdoch’s media control in the UK
had ministers from Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s party discussing ways to limit Murdoch.
Secretly recorded tapes revealed that ministers from Clegg’s group criticized policy
and vowed to block Rupert Murdoch’s plans to expand his media empire.
Alternative media
What does the reference to “alternative” media mean?
It refers to newspapers, magazines, radio or television that cover news
that doesn’t get reported or is under-reported in the mainstream media.
Read the rest of the article and the list of alternative news sources here