s the Washington Post recently quoted a Republican political consultant (Neal). On the other hand, political conservatives point out the number of "media outlets that outright advocate Republican causes. . . . Democrats say they have nothing to counter the pervasive influence of conservative talk radio or Fox news" (Neal). Another view is offered by Faludi, who criticizes the market and corporate focus of mass media.
The shame of the media isn't their dour cynicism but their bright-eyed eagerness to merchandise. . . . Today more than three-quarters of daily newspapers are owned by chains, and publishers' bonuses at chains like Knight-Ridder are chained to financial goals. Reporters indentured to this system are hardly more influential than the staff at the Gap. We may make cynical remarks around the clock, but as long as we fail to challenge corporate and institutional authority, as long as we ignore the patterns in society instead of its isolated scandals, our snipes have no content and no power to arouse the public (Faludi 10).
The market orientation of mass media helps explain the preoccupation with "bad news." However, as Postman and Powers note, the real media project is to merchandise the bad news in highly formatted ways. They explain the use of the "tease," or "come-on" forecasts of reports to be contained in the newsca
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