Political economy of communications

The political economy of communications, news, or media, is a particular branch in Communication studies or media studies which studies the power relations (political economy) that constitute the communication of information from the mass media to its publics.[1] The concept has been developed by media and political economy scholars, such as Dallas Walker Smythe,[2] Herbert Schiller, Vincent Mosco,[3] Dan Schiller, and Robert W. McChesney.[4] More specifically, PEC analyzes the social relations between the mass media system, the communication technology, and the wider social/economic structure in which it operates (e.g., role of the state), with a focus on understanding both the historical emergence and current state of technological developments.[5][6]

Influences

One of the most early modern works in the political economy of communications are Harold Innis' works which were compiled in the book Empire and Communications. This directly inspired Marshall McLuhan, a colleague of Innis at the University of Toronto, who would later be made famous for the dictum "the medium is the message". Subsequent PEC approaches have been heavily influenced by Marxist thought and democratic politics, as it questions powers of and within communications against the realization of democracy.[7]

Main Topics of Study

Logo of News Corp, a mass media conglomerate and a subject of concentrated ownership.

Journalism/News Media

As journalism/news media is the core to the functioning of democratic society.[9] PEC works towards the goal of "healthy journalism."[10] Unfortunately for democracy, the current state of news media around the world and especially that of the United States, falls short of the general consensus (among media scholars and democratic theory) on what is considered to be healthy journalism. This is due in part to the overwhelming amount of public relations material being posed as news.[11][10]

It is in the interest of PEC that journalism instead provide a "rigorous account" of those in power, meet the information needs of all classes and people, be truthful, and act as an early warning system by providing a "wide range of informed opinions on the most important issues of our time."[10]

New Media

The mass media are undoubtedly experiencing considerable changes in platform, technology, and economic structure (e.g., crowdfunding, social media) as the digital era continues to shift people toward "new" media.[1] Traditional financial configurations and business models have been destabilized by this transformation. However, new mechanisms of power have emerged from this more open system of information and news creation. The availability of information can now be skewed or influenced through "search, aggregation, and digital distribution infrastructures" (p. 493).[11] Vincent Mosco's definition of political economic studies, where the "production, distribution, and consumption of resources, including communication resources” are essential, thus remains relevant even in times of new media, since a new (network) economy/society forms its own power relations.[12][13][11][14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Flew, Terry; Smith, Richard (2014). New Media. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press. pp. 1–26, 57–75, 275. ISBN 978-0-19-900550-5.
  2. ↑ Melody, B. (1994). "Dallas Smythe: Pioneer in the political economy of communications". In T. Guback. Counterclockwise: Perspectives on communication. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. pp. 1–6.
  3. ↑ Vincent,, Mosco, (1998-01-01). The political economy of communication rethinking and renewal. Sage Publications. ISBN 978-0803985605. OCLC 490137496.
  4. ↑ 1952-, McChesney, Robert Waterman, (2008-01-01). The political economy of media : enduring issues, emerging dilemmas. Monthly Review Press. ISBN 9781583671610. OCLC 245202825.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Havens, Timothy; Lotz, Amanda D. (2012). Understanding Media Industries. New York, N. Y.: Oxford University Press. pp. 2–9. ISBN 978-0-19-539767-3.
  6. 1 2 Dal,, Yong Jin, (2011-01-01). The Political Economies of Media. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9781849664264. OCLC 798294461.
  7. ↑ Hardy, Jonathan (2014-06-01). "Critical political economy of communications: A mid-term review". International Journal of Media & Cultural Politics. 10 (2): 189–202. doi:10.1386/macp.10.2.189_1.
  8. ↑ Fuchs, Christan (2014). "WikiLeaks and the Critique of the Political Economy". International Journal of Communication. 8 (1932–8036/2014FEA0002): 2718–2732.
  9. ↑ Christians, Clifford G.; Glasser, Theodore L.; McQuail, Denis; Nordenstreng, Kaarle; White, Robert A. (2009-01-01). Normative Theories of the Media: Journalism in Democratic Societies. University of Illinois Press. doi:10.5406/j.ctt1xcjws (inactive 2018-09-08). ISBN 9780252034237. JSTOR 10.5406/j.ctt1xcjws.
  10. 1 2 3 McChesney, Robert W. (2012-10-01). "Farewell to Journalism?". Journalism Practice. 6 (5–6): 614–626. doi:10.1080/17512786.2012.683273. ISSN 1751-2786.
  11. 1 2 3 Picard, Robert G. (2014-09-03). "Twilight or New Dawn of Journalism?". Journalism Studies. 15 (5): 500–510. doi:10.1080/1461670X.2014.895530. ISSN 1461-670X.
  12. ↑ Manuel., Castells, (2008-01-01). The rise of the network society. Blackwell. ISBN 9780631221401. OCLC 254487176.
  13. ↑ 1949-, Donsbach, Wolfgang,; Association., International Communication; (Firm), Wiley-Blackwell (2008-01-01). International encyclopedia of communication online. Wiley/Blackwell. ISBN 9781405131995. OCLC 271856987.
  14. ↑ Boyd-Barrett, Oliver (1995). "The political economy approach". Approaches to Media (PDF). Oxford University Press. pp. 186–192.
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