Week Two: "Who Owns the Media?"

     I discovered that most of the channels, shows, and movies that I watch are owned by News Corp, Time Warner, Inc., Comcast, Viacom, and the Walt Disney Company.  I looked up a couple of the owners and CEOs of these companies.  David Folkenflik from the Washington post discusses myths about Rupert Murdoch, who owns News Corp, and has Conservative leaning views.  And, according to columnist Rick Newman, Robert Iger who owns the Walt Disney Company is on the left side of the political spectrum.  I also found that I consume media from three out of the four internet media owners mentioned on freepress.net, including Google, Apple, and Microsoft.  It was interesting to see that there are less than thirty big owners of all forms of media combined.  I always thought that there were many more small companies and owners, but this website showed me how concentrated the influence is.  Having this knowledge helps me recognize why networks promote certain ideas or follow the same themes.  After learning more about the limited amount of sources out there, I think that I am more likely to do a quick search about the source of the shows I watch or other media I consume. I feel more informed when I turn on the television or surf the internet now because I am more skeptical of my sources.