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//-->NEWSPAPERCONTROLINAMERICAByRobert HomanNewspaper Control In AmericaO n e o f the more w i d e l y recognized v i r t u e s o f t h e A m e r i c a nw a y of life h a s been its "official" n a t i o n a l p h i l o s o p h y , as set f o r t hi n the F i r s t A m e n d m e n t o f the C o n s t i t u t i o n , t h a t "Congresss h a l l m a k e n o l a w . . . a b r i d g i n g the f r e e d o m o f speech, o r o f thepress...." T h r o u g h o u t A m e r i c a ' s h i s t o r y a n i n d e p e n d e n t a n dcompetitive press h a s been r e g a r d e d as e s s e n t i a l to the effectivem a i n t e n a n c e o f h e r r e p u b l i c a n f o r m o f government. I t w a s thepress's r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o p r o v i d e f a c t u a l l y the n e w s a n di n f o r m a t i o n necessary for the m a i n t e n a n c e of a conscious a n da l e r t citizenry. T h e obvious i m p o r t a n c e o f t h i s task, a n d thei n h e r e n t p o w e r a n d prestige w h i c h a c c o m p a n i e d it, quiten a t u r a l l y r e s u l t e d in a recognition of, a n d a respect for, theinstitution of journalism in America. A m e r i c a n journalism'se n o r m o u s capacity t o organize a n d arouse p u b l i c o p i n i o n for o ra g a i n s t a n y t h i n g o r anyone, a n d also the c o n s t i t u t i o n a l l yg u a r a n t e e d i m m u n i t y f r o m the t h r e a t o f g o v e r n m e n t a lr e s t r i c t i o n a n d suppression, elevated the press to a covetedp l a n e o f influence w h i c h w a s a p p r o p r i a t e l y t e r m e d the " F o u r t hEstate."T h e A m e r i c a n press of today is a far c r y from t h a t w h i c hexisted i n the days o f B e n j a m i n F r a n k l i n a n d T h o m a s P a i n e .T h e r e v o l u t i o n a r y technological advances w h i c h the n e w s p a p e rf i e l d h a s undergone i n the l a s t c e n t u r y h a v e been p r o f o u n d .T o d a y the size, m a t e r i a l q u a l i t y , a n d f o r m a t o f newspapers, a sw e l l as the a b i l i t y to provide a m e t r o p o l i t a n a r e a c o n t a i n i n gh u n d r e d s of t h o u s a n d s of readers w i t h s e v e r a l editions a day,w o u l d c e r t a i n l y amaze the F o u n d i n g F a t h e r s . Y e t , despite t h i sadvance i n n e w s p a p e r technology, they w o u l d p r o b a b l y b eshocked b y the g r o w i n g monopolistic c e n t r a l i z a t i o n o f A m e r i c a nn e w s p a p e r s a n d d i s g u s t e d b y the k i n d o f m a n a g e d n e w s w h i c his b e i n g p r e s e n t e d w i t h a s t r a i g h t face to the A m e r i c a n people.It is the purpose of t h i s article to demonstrate how an1Newspaper Control In Americai n f l u e n t i a l m i n o r i t y , w h i c h constitutes o n l y 2.9% o f the t o t a lU.S. population,h a s effectively achieved d o m i n i o n overA m e r i c a ' s n e w s p a p e r i n d u s t r y . S o m e readers w i l l b e s h o c k e d a tthe p r e s e n t e d facts a n d f i g u r e s ; others w i l l scoff—but n o one c a nignore t h e m . T h e y are as r e a l as the J e w i s h people themselves.1Today, few people w o u l d deny the existence of n e w s p a p e rmonopolies. H o w e v e r , m a n y people f a i l t o realize the a l a r m i n gproportions m o n o p o l i z a t i o n h a s reached a n d j u s twhoi s i nc o n t r o l o f t h i s h i g h l y i n f l u e n t i a l m e d i u m . T h e degree o fmonopoly i n A m e r i c a , c o n s i d e r i n g t h a t the c o u n t r y w a s foundedu p o n the precepts o f i n d e p e n d e n t t h o u g h t a n d f r e e enterprise,t r u l y staggers the i m a g i n a t i o n :'In 94 percent of the cities in the U n i t e d States t h a thave d a i l y newspapers, there are no l o c a l l y c o m p e t i n gnewspapers.... A tendency t o w a r d c o n c e n t r a t i o n ofo w n e r s h i p h a s been m a n i f e s t i n g i t s e l f i n the f o l l o w i n gways: (a) the f o r m a t i o n of n e w s p a p e r c h a i n s , p a r t i c u l a r l yr e g i o n a l i n scope i n more recent years, (b) t h ee l i m i n a t i o n o f a l l except one d a i l y i n cities o f less t h a n50,000 p o p u l a t i o n , (c) the c o m b i n a t i o n of two papersu n d e r one p u b l i s h e r i n cities o f 50,000 t o 400,000, a n d(d) the s u r v i v a l of c o m p e t i t i o n o n l y in cities of more t h a n400,000 population.'2Timemagazine, i n a n article accurately t i t l e d " N oC o m p e t i t i o n , " stated that, a l t h o u g h d a i l y c i r c u l a t i o n of news-papers h a s i n c r e a s e d f r o m forty-five m i l l i o n t o s i x t y m i l l i o nsince 1945, the n u m b e r o f A m e r i c a n cities w i t h competitivedailies h a s s h r u n k by a l m o s t one-half, from 117 to 60. T h earticle w e n t o n t o say t h a t the n u m b e r o f t o w n s w i t h n e w s p a p e r12The World Almanac and book of facts( N e w Y o r k , 1966), p. 332.R a y m o n d B . N i x o n , " I m p l i c a t i o n s o f the D e c r e a s i n g N u m b e r s o fCompetitiveNewspapers,"inWilburSchramm(ed.),Communications in M o d e r n Society( U n i v e r s i t y of I l l i n o i s P r e s s ,1948), p. 4 3 .2Newspaper Control In Americamonopolies h a s i n c r e a s e d to 1,382.In a l a t e r article it w a s r e p o r t e d that:3' . . . S i n c e c h a i n s not o n l y stifle competitors b u t k i l lnewspapers (generally by merger), t h e i r effect h a s b e e nd r a m a t i c . F r o m a h i g h - w a t e r m a r k o f 2,461 d a i l y p a p e r sin 1916, the n u m b e r h a s steadily fallen, to 1,760 today.It is s t i l l dropping. D a i l y newspaper competition has a l lb u t disappeared. I t survives i n o n l y 6 0 o f the country's5,911 c i t i e s — a n d i n t w o - t h i r d s o f these the c o m p e t i t i o nis token, i.e., between m o r n i n g a n d afternoon papers.'4M o n o p o l y newspapers, l i k e a n i n s a t i a b l e f i r e , r e q u i r e m o r ea n d more " l i n k s " t o t h e i r c h a i n , w h i c h assures t h e m o f m o r einfluence, n a r r o w s the n u m b e r o f competitors i n the f i e l d , a n dt h u s a l l o w s for a greater profit by i n c r e a s e d a n d exclusivepatronage. Since monopolists don't l i k e to a d m i t t h e i r policiesdestroy i n i t i a t i v e a n d competition, a r a t i o n a l e is developed. T h i sr a t i o n a l e u s u a l l y e x p l a i n s t h a t m o d e r n - d a y h i g h costs r e q u i r efewer b u t bigger newspapers. S u c h newspapers, they c l a i m ,provide greater efficiency, b r o a d e n e d n e w s coverage, i n - d e p t hr e p o r t i n g , more special c o l u m n s — a r e g u l a r reader's Utopia. T h efact t h a t s u c h papers also become u n i f o r m in n e w s coverage, i.e.,i n w h a t the p u b l i c i s a l l o w e d t o r e a d a n d k n o w about, i saccepted by m o s t n e w s p a p e r m e n as inevitable.I n a s t u d y o f the M i d w e s t e r n n e w s p a p e r monopolists, J o h na n d M i k e C o w l e s (who a m o n g t h e i r other h o l d i n g s o w nLookmagazine), W i l l i a m B a r r y F u r l o n g comments:' . . . I n b o t h M i n n e a p o l i s a n d D e s M o i n e s , the e d i t o r sa n d e x e c u t i v e s stress t h e " c o m p e t i t i o n " offered t h e mb y r a d i o a n d t e l e v i s i o n . B u t i n b o t h cities, t h e C o w l e sbrothers—likemonopolypublishersalmosteverywhere—own all or part of local radio and TVstations.34" N o C o m p e t i t i o n , "Time,79 ( J a n u a r y 19, 1962), p. 67." T h e N e w s p a p e r Collector,"Time,80 ( J u l y 27, 1962), p. 56.3Newspaper Control In America. . . H i g h s t a n d a r d s i n j o u r n a l i s m d o not s p r i n g f r o ma n y v i r t u e i n h e r e n t i n a monopoly....T h e t r u t h i s t h a t not e v e n the m o s t s c r u p u l o u s a n dt h o u g h t f u l o f p u b l i s h e r s c a n overcome a l l o f the defectso f m o n o p o l y censorship. N o m a t t e r h o w vigorous a n d f a i rh e i s i n p r i n t i n g ideas antagonistic t o h i s o w n , h e cannotprovide t h a t i n t e l l e c t u a l c l i m a t e i n w h i c h ideasg e r m i n a t e . F o r h e r e t a i n s the t r i u m p h a n t w e a p o n o fm o d e r n conflict: the i n i t i a t i v e . H e h a s the f i r s t chance t ooffer ideas; the opposition is never in a p o s i t i o n to dom u c h but respond to them, a n d nothing can be morefrustrating t h a n a l w a y s b e i n g on the defensive.'5T h e i n t e n s e consolidation o f newspapers i n t o monopolies,w h i c h h a s r e s u l t e d i n the A m e r i c a n p u b l i c b e i n g offered o n l yb i a s e d a n d censored news, i s a n event o f recent years. T h ef o r m a t i o n o f large n e w s p a p e r c h a i n s b e g a n a r o u n d the t u r n o fthe century, a n d w a s r e s t r i c t e d more or less to the u r b a ni n d u s t r i a l centers o f the n a t i o n , w h i c h t h e n c o n t a i n e d aboutforty percent o f the country's p o p u l a t i o n . T h i s w a s the p e r i o dw h e n the n e w s p a p e r fortunes o f m e n l i k e E . W . S c r i p p s ,W i l l i a m R a n d o l p h H e a r s t , J o s e p h M e d i l l (grandfather o f R o b e r tM c C o r m i c k ) , a n d J o s e p h P u l i t z e r — t h e f i r s t notable J e w i n thef i e l d — w e r e fast o n the rise a n d g a i n i n g m o m e n t u m .A l t h o u g h J e w i s h n e w s p a p e r enterprises l i k e P u l i t z e r ' s werei n c r e a s i n g , the b u l k o f A m e r i c a ' s news m e d i a s t i l l r e s i d e d i nG e n t i l e h a n d s . T h i s n a t i v e A m e r i c a n control w a s f i r s t overcomeb y the J e w i s h p e r m e a t i o n o f the G e n t i l e n e w s p a p e r c h a i n s .U s u a l l y , s u c h i n f i l t r a t i o n w a s a c c o m p l i s h e d i n periods o fi n s t a b i l i t y a n d chaos. A classic e x a m p l e of t h i s process tookplace i n C h i c a g o a t the t u r n o f the century. I n 1900, H e a r s te n t e r e d t w o newspapers, the C h i c a g oAmericana n d the C h i c a g oExaminer,i n t o the city's field of c o m p e t i n g newspapers. T h e5W i l l i a m B a r r y F u r l o n g , "The Midwest's Nice M o n o p o l i s t s — J o h n a n dM i k e C o w l e s , "Harper's Magazine,2 2 6 ( J u n e , 1963), p. 75.4
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