Antonio Gramsci 

Antonio Gramsci was an Italian Marxist philosopher who developed the theory of hegemony, in which he states that highly political figures and people with vast amount of control over media are able to dictate and set values and morals within society. The theory includes the society and the people in power attempting to set new standards through a hegemonic struggle. A cultural example of hegemony can be the United States of America, in which a group of ruling class people have authority and great influence over all of its citizens. These citizens will then shape their ideologies and opinions of the world based off the information this ruling class will feed them. 

Jurgen Habermas and the concept of the Public Sphere – arguments: that the media should work in the public’s interest and not purely in a commercial interest, that mass media has reduced the effectiveness of the public sphere though the concentration of ownership, and that in order to have democracy we must have an informed and aware society. “A public sphere between the private domain and the state in which a public opinion was formed and ‘popular’ supervision of government was established”

James Curran & Jean Seaton – the theory of the liberal free press – the idea that media should have the right to be exercised freely. The public wants a free market when it comes to the news, however laws have to be implemented to prevent media platforms from publishing highly offensive and untrue information, but if the government put too many laws in place then the news becomes controlled by the state.”The media ceased to be an agency of empowerment and rationality, and became a further means by which the public was sidelined”.

Noam Chomsky – the 5 filters that manufacture consent – presents his views on how mass media works against democracy, he thinks that media selectively chooses what to publish not based on what is best for the viewer, but for their personal agenda. Propaganda model – explains how populations are manipulated and how consent is manufactured for social, economic and political policies, includes structures of ownership, the role of advertising, links with the establishment, diversionary tactics and uniting against a common enemy