Murdoch’s vast empire of toxic right-wing propaganda, from the British tabloids to the Wall Street Journal to Fox News, has poisoned the brains of millions and made the world dramatically worse.
Capitalist owners are not going to fund unprofitable, resource-intensive investigative work. A different model is needed if journalism is going to survive.
In this excerpt from ‘The New Power Elite,’ sociologist Heather Gautney explains how the consolidation of media into a few powerful corporations is a key part of the neoliberal project to co-opt this pillar of social and political engagement.
The right-wing propaganda apparatus is absurdly well funded. Scrappy left outlets (like this one) are fighting hard to provide a counterpoint, but we need more resources.