Nearly half of those surveyed responded. When asked if advertisers tried to influence the content of a news story, 74.2 percent said yes. Forty percent said that the advertiser succeeded in influencing a story. In 1983, some 50 corporations controlled most of U.S. media. As a result of mergers, the number was down to 10 by 1997.
Less reporters means more fluff.
John Lennon in 1980 received 59 minutes of air time. Princess Diana Spencer in 1997 received 197 minutes of air time. More journalists now work for public relation firms than for media companies. By definition, public relation firms put out biased news promoting the views of their corporate sponsors. Medialink, a PR firm, conducted a survey of 92 newsrooms and found that 92 of them accept VNRs supplied free by PR firms.