What the proprietorship of these papers is aiming at is power, and power without responsibility - the prerogative of the harlot throughout history.
Stanley Baldwin 1930
On media ownership. The Duke of Devonshire said on hearing this, "Good God, that's done it. He's lost us the tart's vote."
Category: Institutions
The purpose of my remarks tonight is to focus your attention on this little group of men who not only enjoy right of instant rebuttal to every Presidential address, but, more importantly, wield a free hand in selecting, presenting and interpreting the great issues in our nation. ... They decide what 40 to 50 million Americans will learn of the day's events in the nation and the world. We cannot measure this power and influence by the traditional democratic standards, for these men can create national issues overnight. ... They can elevate men from obscurity to national prominence within a week. ... The American people would rightly not tolerate the concentration of power in government. Is it not fair and relevant to question its concentration in the hands of a tiny enclosed fraternity of privileged men elected by no one?
Spiro T Agnew 13/11/1965
[speech on broadcasting, Des Moines, Iowa, 13 November 1969; the speech was broadcast live on all three main television networks.
Category: Institutions
The present combination of corporate or commercial control theoretically answerable to politically appointed Boards of Governors is not in any sense a democratic enough procedure to control the power the broadcasters have.
Tony Benn 09/02/1972
Category: Institutions
