'The Contradictions of Media Power'

Professor Des Freedman, Goldsmiths University London
Thursday 26th February, 4 pm - 6 pm, W/222
Chair: Alice Ludlow

Interview

Professor Des Freedman

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Des Freedman is Professor of Media and Communications at Goldsmiths, University of London and the author of The Contradictions of Media Power (2014) and The Politics of Media Policy (2008). He is on the national council of the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom and the chair of the Media Reform Coalition.

Seminar synopsis

The phone hacking scandal revealed deep-rooted collusion between police, politicians and the press and raised the salience of the issue of media power.Yet, media power remains an elusive and often taken for granted, concept. Does it refer to economic and political influence of particular ‘media moguls’ or to the media’s capacity to modify attitudes and beliefs, transform social circumstances and exert influence over other social institutions? Does it refer to the ability of media to provide other state or corporate actors with a valuable resource to assert their own dominance or to the concentration of symbolic influence that is mobilized in far more intimate contexts? As a way into thinking through some of these issues, the paper identifies four paradigms of media power and argues that while the media continue to play a key role in legimitizing elite interests, they are also open to challenge and scrutiny.

Tickets

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