ABSTRACT
The information, media, and entertainment industries have advanced their interests in the national and state governments for over a century. Because the dissemination of information is essential to the proper functioning of a democracy, these industries have been endowed with a persuasive rationale on which to base their claims for preferential treatment. Legislators, well aware of the enormous power wielded by these industries over their own careers, have often responded favorably. Indeed, the government has facilitated the commercialization and profitability of these industries in numerous enactments, such as postal subsidies and exemptions from the minimum wage. In recent years, the ownership of the news and entertainment industries has become increasingly concentrated and entangled through mergers, which have been made possible by changes in national laws. As might be expected, these industries are represented primarily by well-financed trade associations. While these associations dominate the field, there are also watchdog groups that complain about the increasing concentration of ownership and competing groups that wish to retain noncommercial sources of information.
