ABSTRACT
The most drastic way business can reduce the media’s power is to break its monopoly as the sole deliverer of news to the public. Companies can bypass the mass media and reach target audiences directly. Traditionally, companies communicate with the public by sending news releases to the media-increasingly electronically by using Business Wire and other electronic news delivery services-and, if the news is sufficiently important, by holding a news conference. This process places the news at the mercy of reporters, editors, producers, and hosts of the mass media who serve as gatekeepers. They decide what stories or segments will be used and what slant each will be given.
