The question posed in this paper is whether the Canadian media is serving the public as well as it ought to in a democratic society or whether it is instead primarily serving the interests of the elite.

The following includes a list of the tasks as proposed by theorist Jurgen Habermas as a reference to ponder while considering this question. Also included are references to the theories posed by the Frankfurt School and that proposed by Antonio Gramsci, as to the purpose of the media in society.

Habermas suggested that the media in a democratic society should provide for the following:

1. Surveillance of the socio-political environment, reporting developments likely

to impinge, positively or negatively, on the welfare of citizens;

3. Providing a platform for illuminat

6. Providing incentives for citizens to learn, choose, and become involved in public life;

In Canada today 2 corporations namely, Bell Canadian Enterprises (BCE) and CanWest Global Corporation own 60 per cent of our daily newspapers. Both these companies are cross-ownership enterprises. Both also have ownership in other forms of media as well as newspapers. (Washington Post)

it aside like it never existed because its suggested remedies did not fit the government’s interests or budget. This reaction has been commonplace to all investigations into media concentration since that time. Public interest into this problem has been highlighted again however with the fairly recent mergers and acquisitions in Canada. (Eaman, R. p109)

Also, Special Interest groups can be problematic as they gather evidence to support their causes while largely neglecting to present both views of the issue. In this way they succeed in swaying the public’s opinion. An example of this is the way in which the liberal perspective regarding the environment is discussed in newspapers.

Some topics in this essay:
Frankfurt School’s, Premier Alberta, Antonio Gramsci, Washington Post, , Issues Contradictions, Canada Eaman, Committee Commission, Global Corporation, Singh Bolaria, media concentration, canwest global, information media, kyoto agreement, reliance media, wire services, democratic society, washington post, dissent demand obedience, dissent demand, freedom expression, canwest global corporation, obedience specific ideology, demand obedience specific, suppress dissent demand,