Big Media and Big Money in 2017: from Disney/Murdoch to Net Neutrality

Last week’s events have shown that the new digital media landscape is every bit as monopolistic as the old one. And what’s Murdoch up to now?

Des Freedman
By Des Freedman
FILE- In this Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017 file photo, Rupert Murdoch waits for the start of the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York. (AP/Julio Cortez)

Analysis -- Two seminal events that took place last week – the FCC’s vote to scrap net neutrality rules and Rupert Murdoch’s sale of vast chunks of his empire to Disney – are a stark reminder of what really matters in the contemporary media economy: size and influence. The Trump-era Federal Communications Commission has eagerly succumbed to a

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VICE’s Fall From Counterculture Hipster Rag To Neoliberal Government Mouthpiece

Robbie Martin, director of the documentary series ‘A Very Heavy Agenda,’ joins Mnar Muhawesh on ‘Behind the Headline’ to discuss how VICE became a government lapdog pushing pro-interventionist messaging to a millennial audience wary of the government.

Mnar Adley
By Mnar Adley
Vice founders Shane Smith, left, and Suroosh Alvi, attend the 20th Annual Webby Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on Monday, May 16, 2016, in New York.

MINNEAPOLIS --- Disney, Fox News, Bill Maher and former U.S. government officials -- seems like a pretty random list, right? Well, they have one surprising thing in common: VICE. No, I’m not talking about porn, gambling or drugs. I’m talking about the multimedia empire that’s leading the mainstream media machine in producing “edgy”

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Disney Wants Employees To Chip In To Pay Copyright Lobbyists

The letter boasts of beating Aereo, getting TPP—and wants workers’ help in 2016.

Joe Mullin | Ars Technica
By Joe Mullin | Ars Technica

The Walt Disney Company has a reputation for lobbying hard on copyright issues. The 1998 copyright extension has even been dubbed the “Mickey Mouse Protection Act” by activists like Lawrence Lessig that have worked to reform copyright laws. This year, the company is turning to its employees to fund some of that battle. Disney CEO Bob Iger has

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30% Of Republicans Favor Bombing Fictional Disney City Of Agrabah

According to a new poll conducted by Public Policy Polling, 30% of Republicans are in favor of bombing the city of Agrabah.

SM Gibson | AntiMedia
By SM Gibson | AntiMedia
Agrabah is a fictional Disney city where Aladdin lives, and 30% of Republicans want to bomb it.

If you thought society was bottoming out the last time you heard Donald Trump was rising in the polls, you thought wrong. There is no floor to this well. According to a new poll conducted by Public Policy Polling, 30% of Republicans are in favor of bombing the city of Agrabah. If you aren’t familiar with this region of the world, do not fret.

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Citing Fraud, Disney Disbands Program Allowing Disabled Guests To Skip Long Lines

Reports had circulated that wealthier patrons of Disney amusement parks were paying for “disabled tour guides” to skip long lines.

Katie Rucke
By Katie Rucke

Citing abuse of the system, Disney officials said that starting Oct. 9, the California-based Disneyland Park and Florida-based Disney World Resort theme parks will no longer allow disabled visitors to skip the hours-long wait in lines for rides and attractions, with the announcement Disney is discontinuing its Guest Assistance Card program. Though

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