ABSTRACT
In this penultimate chapter on social system determinants of news, the first section explains the system-based perspective, along with the controversial concept of hegemony. Chilling examples of news hegemonic effects are discussed, followed by a critical examination of the hegemony construct and its applications to contemporary news. Refinements, such as the spheres of consensus and deviance, are described, along with implications of framing, indexing, and cascading activation. Concepts are highlighted with illustrative case-study examples of news coverage of Vietnam, the Persian Gulf War, and the Iraq War, as well as implications of WikiLeaks, the Edward Snowden revelations, and the #MeToo exposés. The hegemony concept is praised, but systematically critiqued on a variety of grounds, as the chapter concludes by noting how news promotes the status quo, but also propels change, in a no-holds-barred online era where news is a complexly autonomous gatekeeper.
