Who Owns the Media? : Zed Books : 9781842774687 : 1842774689 : 01 Jul 2005 : The ownership of the media and issues related to the governance of global media institutions are of immense public significance. Not only are the cultural industries a major source of contemporary power - economic, political, social - they are also the primary definers of consciousness in most parts of the contemporary world. In the shadow of the recent decision by the Federal Communications Commission, USA, to dismantle restrictions on cross media ownership and similar initiatives in the UK and in other parts of the world, the issue of media ownership has been thrust on the world stage. Fewer owners and greater concentration of media often result in the downgrading of plurality, diversity and access to a variety of opinion, and contribute to the hamstringing of democratic discourse. The pro-war stance on Iraq, actively supported by mainstream media in the USA, is merely the latest example of the agenda-settin