Giovanni Caputo Thesis

This study examines the nature of media bias within the news media (for this study, newspapers and television news), the trajectories and methods through which these biases are spread and how a hegemony is formed, and looks at the qualities of this hegemony. The thesis begins with a review of some of the literature covering bias in the news media, approaching the issue from a number of angles and considering various actors. Three case studies follow, with details of specific practices and situations in Italy, India, and France. Many commonalities are found among the news media in these countries in terms of messages spread and the methodologies through which these messages are spread. Specifically, the study looks at the importance of money and the status quo for the news media, and the subordination of societal duty or public interest to money and the status quo. The study also considers the intersection between the public and private in the news media, especially the privatization of public news media and the ensuing results. The thesis asks if any of the most visible and followed news media are actually fulfilling a real public need, or whether these media outlets are pandering to the public while at the same time pushing a hegemony in line with private interests rather than those of society. If the latter is true, how is this achieved, and what are the dangers to democracy?