LETTER TO THE FREE – KEY TERMS

  • Gatekeepers – A person who controls access to something.
  • Regulation / Deregulation – The removal of management / management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends.
  • Free market – A system in which the prices for goods and services are self-regulated by the open market and by consumers.
  • Monopolies – When a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity. 
  • Mergers – The merging of one estate or title in another.
  • Media concentration – A process whereby progressively fewer individuals or organisations control increasing shares of the mass media.
  • Conglomerates – A combination of multiple business entities operating in entirely different industries under one corporate group.
  • Globalisation (in terms of media ownership) – the worldwide integration of media through the cross-cultural exchange of ideas.
  • Vertical Integration – The combination in one firm of two or more stages of production normally operated by separate firms.
  • Horizontal Integration – The process of a company increasing production of goods or services at the same part of the supply chain.
  • Surveillance / Privacy / Security – Freedom from, or resilience against, potential harm caused by others.