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Corporate Control
Corporate Control Word Count: 1036 Corporate Control It seems that there is an ever-increasing trend in our society. Big corporations are becoming more and more influential in our lives. As they gain more and more muscle in our government they also invade our schools and many other facets of our lives. Perhaps the most disturbing area of potential influence, however, is corporate control of the media. Can the American media uphold its values of free press under pressure from big corporations? Can they continue to present the absolute truth? The simple answer, especially in my opinion, is no. The movie The Insider provides us with an excellent case to back that point of view. Perhaps one of the biggest stories of this decade has been the tobacco industry. We saw them stand before Congress and tell the world that cigarettes were not addictive. The industry was able to “lawyer” its way out of trouble time and time again. They essentially used legal maneuvers, and certainly money, to keep the truth from the American people. Finally, we saw all that come to an end. When Jeff Wigand decided it was time to tell the truth, he put everything he valued at risk. He stood to loose his family, any chance at a job, and quite possibly his life. He knew all these things and still he went on, because he thought he could make a difference. He knew that his testimony would never be heard in a court of law, so where could he turn. The answer: the fourth and fifth estates, or the press and television. Every night millions of Americans sit down and watch the nightly news or read the paper. We know that we will be told all the days news, that we will be educated about what is happening in the world around us. We also know that we will be updated on issues that we care about as individuals and a society. Another delivery mechanism for information is television magazine shows like 60 Minutes. People know that when Mike Wallace talks to them, they should listen. They can also look at his reputation and know that he is telling the truth. Wigand put faith in that fact. Wigand agreed to do an interview with 60 Minutes because he knew that people would listen. He knew that the absolute truth would finally be out in the open, and that it would come from a source that people would believe. He risked everything because he had faith in the media and journalists. What happened next is, quite frankly, disgraceful. When the tobacco industry, specifically the company B&W learned that CBS intended to air the interview, they began to lean on the CBS corporate office. They threatened lawsuits that could quite possibly mean that B&W would end up owning CBS. There were other factors as well. Westinghouse was about to purchase CBS. That meant that corporate managers stood to make lots of money. A lawsuit with B&W could have easily made Westinghouse pull out of th... This is ONLY a preview of the article. If you would like to view the entire document, you must subscribe to Academic Library. Please register below now!
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