“Media: when oligarchs go shopping” – RSF’s latest report | RSF
It was in Russia that the word “oligarchs” was first used to denote
very rich businessmen. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has adopted the
term to refer to billionaires who create or take over media empires to
serve their business or political interests. There is a worldwide trend
towards increasingly concentrated ownership of conglomerates that
combine media outlets (TV channels, radio stations, newspapers and news
websites) with banks, telecoms, property firms and construction
companies. All this suits the rulers of countries such as China that
espoused capitalism in order to better suppress democracy.
800
TV channels in India are owned by political or industrial barons
Entitled Media: when oligarchs go shopping,
RSF’s latest report describes a world in which journalism and freedom
of information run up against an invisible wall consisting of money and
conflicts of interest. From now on, RSF intends to keep addressing these
new threats to journalistic independence, which constitute a major
challenge for democracy.Media: when oligarchs go shoppingRead
Coinciding with the report’s publication, RSF is launching a
communication campaign together with the advertising agency BETC. Called
“How oligarchs kill freedom of information,” it takes the form of a
“quick manual for the good oligarch.”
