4.2.7.2 Ownership and control of the media Quiz: AQA Sociology, Unit 2

The 20 questions

1. What is meant by media 'ownership' in sociological analysis?

   • The number of copies of a newspaper sold each day, which determines the power that the newspaper holds over readers
   • The amount of time that audiences spend watching television each evening, which is measured in hours of viewing
   • The number of journalists employed by a media organisation, which determines how many stories it can produce
   • Legal control over media organisations, held by individuals, families, corporations, the state or charitable trusts

2. What is the difference between ownership and control of the media, as discussed by sociologists?

   • Ownership is the amount of advertising a media organisation carries, while control is the number of hours it broadcasts
   • Ownership is legal possession of a media organisation, while control covers how editorial decisions and content are directed
   • Ownership is the number of countries where a media organisation operates, while control is its daily audience size and its reach
   • Ownership is the number of employees in a media company, while control is the number of stories it publishes each year

3. Which theory argues that the mass media serve the interests of the ruling class by reflecting its ideas and values?

   • The functionalist theory, which argues that the media transmit shared values and help integrate the members of society
   • The postmodern theory, which argues that the media create fluid and fragmented images that no group controls
   • The Marxist or instrumentalist theory of the media
   • The pluralist theory, which argues that competing groups and many media owners prevent any single group from dominating

4. According to the pluralist view, why does media ownership not necessarily lead to domination by one group?

   • Because media owners have no interest in profit, so they always choose content on the basis of public benefit alone
   • Because the state owns all media in every country, so no private owner can influence content at any time
   • Because all media owners are required by law to represent every social class equally in their content and reporting
   • Because there are many owners and competing media, so no single group controls the range of views available to the public

5. Which of Herman and Chomsky's 'five filters' describes the influence of advertisers on media content?

   • The anti-communism filter, in which opposition to communism shapes the framing of news and political debate
   • The flak filter, in which negative responses to media content from powerful groups are used to discipline journalists
   • The sourcing filter, in which media rely on official and powerful sources for information and news
   • The advertising filter, in which dependence on advertising revenue shapes what is covered

6. What does the term 'media concentration' refer to?

   • A small number of large companies owning a large share of media outlets in a market or country
   • The practice of broadcasting only one type of programme, such as news, across all channels at all times of the day
   • The practice of reducing the size of the audience for media in order to focus on a small group of loyal viewers
   • The practice of placing all media offices in one city, so that staff can meet more easily to discuss stories

7. Why might cross-media ownership, where one company owns newspapers, television and online outlets, be a concern for sociologists?

   • It may reduce diversity of views and allow one company to shape public debate across several platforms at once
   • It has no effect on public debate, because audiences always choose their own sources independently of ownership
   • It guarantees that every platform will have the same number of readers, which removes all differences between outlets
   • It means that each platform must print the same story at the same time, which prevents any creative coverage

8. What is the role of a public service broadcaster such as the BBC in relation to ownership and control?

   • It is funded entirely by advertising, which means that its content is set by the advertisers who pay for each slot
   • It is owned by a single private company that sets all programme content for the commercial benefit of its shareholders
   • It is publicly funded, operates at arm's length from government and commercial owners, and has a duty to inform and educate
   • It is controlled directly by the prime minister, who approves each programme before it is broadcast to the public, including news

9. Which regulatory body in the UK regulates broadcasting and some aspects of media ownership?

   • The Press Complaints Commission, which was the main body for newspaper self-regulation until 2014
   • The Competition and Markets Authority, which investigates mergers and monopoly behaviour across all sectors
   • The Information Commissioner's Office, which regulates the use of personal data by organisations in the UK
   • Ofcom

10. What is meant by the 'Leveson Inquiry' in the context of press ownership and control?

    • A public inquiry into press standards and ethics after phone hacking, which led to proposals for press regulation
    • A court case about the ownership of a single broadcasting licence, which was settled by a ruling in favour of the BBC
    • A government inquiry into the price of newsprint, which investigated whether paper suppliers were charging unfair prices
    • An inquiry into the number of journalists employed by the national press, which recommended a fixed staffing ratio

11. Which concept describes the way that media owners who have wider business interests may shape content to protect those interests?

    • Editorial independence, in which journalists make decisions free from any influence by owners or advertisers
    • Pluralism, in which many competing outlets offer diverse views to audiences in a democratic society
    • Conflict of interest in media ownership, in which non-media business interests influence editorial decisions
    • Public accountability, in which media organisations answer to audiences for the accuracy and fairness of content

12. Which factor is most often linked to the increasing global concentration of media ownership?

    • The decline of all advertising, which has forced media companies to rely entirely on public subscriptions
    • The ban on cross-border trade in media products, which has prevented foreign companies from entering any national market
    • Mergers, acquisitions and the growth of multinational media companies operating across many national markets
    • The growth of local ownership by small community groups, which has replaced national and global companies

13. Which evidence would best support the claim that media ownership influences the content of news?

    • Evidence that audiences read the news more on weekdays than at weekends, which shows that the content is always the same
    • Evidence that news stories are shorter in the morning than in the evening, which shows that owners set the length of news
    • Studies showing coverage of an issue changes after a change of owner, or when owners' business interests are at stake
    • Evidence that the number of newspapers printed has risen over several decades, which shows that owners have no control

14. Which argument is made by critics of state ownership of the media?

    • State ownership always produces more accurate news than private ownership, because governments have no commercial interests
    • State ownership guarantees that all social groups receive equal coverage, because the state is accountable to every citizen
    • State ownership has no effect on news, because journalists in state broadcasters are never influenced by their employer
    • State ownership can allow governments to influence news and programming, which may restrict the independence of journalism

15. Which conclusion best follows from the view that media ownership shapes which views reach the public?

    • Patterns of ownership are irrelevant, because the content of the media is determined entirely by the audience's own choices
    • Patterns of ownership can be ignored, because all media in every country are equally independent of their owners
    • Patterns of ownership are an important part of understanding media power, alongside regulation, audiences and professional norms
    • Patterns of ownership are the only factor that matters, so regulation, audiences and professional norms have no effect

16. Evaluate the claim that media pluralism is guaranteed by the existence of many media outlets.

    • The claim is irrelevant, because media pluralism has no connection to the number of outlets in any society or the diversity of their views
    • The claim is weakened because many outlets may share owners, sources or advertising pressures, which can limit true diversity
    • The claim is confirmed by the fact that all media in every country are independent of owners, sources and advertisers
    • The claim is fully proven, because every outlet in a market reports a different view of every issue, so diversity is guaranteed

17. A single company owns most of the national newspapers in a country and has a large stake in the internet providers that carry them. Which sociological concern does this most directly raise?

    • That the newspapers will be sold at a lower price, because the company has no interest in making a profit from them
    • That the newspapers will publish fewer pages, because the company is required to cut costs in every department each year
    • Concentration of ownership that could reduce diversity of content and give one firm influence over both content and distribution
    • That the newspapers will be read only by the company's employees, because external readers have no access to them

18. What is vertical integration in media ownership?

    • A company owning many small outlets in different towns, each serving a separate local audience with similar content
    • A company selling its outlets to foreign buyers, so that the national market is opened to outside investment
    • A company owning several stages of production and distribution, such as content creation and delivery to audiences
    • A company jointly owned by several governments, so that its editorial policy reflects the views of each state

19. Which concept describes a firm gaining market share by buying rivals that operate at the same stage of the market?

    • Decentralisation, in which decisions move from a head office to local branches across a wide region
    • Diversification, in which a firm enters unrelated markets to spread its risk across many different products
    • Privatisation, in which a state-owned organisation is sold to private investors in a public share offering
    • Horizontal integration, in which a firm takes over competitors that offer similar products to the same audience

20. Why might a media owner's political views affect content?

    • Owners only own the buildings, so they have no influence over what journalists write or broadcast in any way
    • Owners are legally required to share their political views with the public, which removes any influence on content
    • Owners have no contact with editors, so their political views are never discussed or known to staff in any newsroom
    • Owners can appoint editors and set editorial direction, which may reflect and promote the owner's own preferences

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