Brenda wrote (Sept 21):
>>many of the media conglomerates are publicly owned. Take AOL-Time Warner for
>example. If I own one share of AOL-Time Warner stock or if I own a single
share in a >mutual fund which owns AOL-TW (leaving out for a moment if I have
a right because >my taxes inevitably subsidize their business) I have the
right to say something about >their policies at CNN, Time magazine, or NY1
News. And perhaps a movement to >change the media would have to be a grass
roots approach, levied by shareholders. I >don't know that it is likely to
happen or yield a result but it is at least possible.<<
Yes it's true that these corporations are public and that individual
shareholders have a right to speak and a right to vote, but the majority
(which counts in democratic societies) of the shares are owned by other
corporations or institutions with their own agendas and enough voting power to
brush off any individuals or even groups of 'concerned citizens' or 'grass
roots approaches, however well-meaning and critical, when the time comes to
decide policy. I wish it were otherwise, but it ain't.
Mike.
NP Garbarek and the Hillard Ensemble 'O salutaris hosti' (from 'Officium')
