Monday, April 17, 2006

ATTACKING THE MONOPOLY OF INFORMATION FROM THE DIGITAL MEDIA By Carlos Martínez

Translated from Spanish for Axis of Logic by Manuel Talens and revised by Mary Rizzo (Tlaxcala*)
Apr 17, 2006, 13:25


Report presented at the International Forum "Globalising Social Transformation and Role of the Alternative Media" ( http://blog.jinbo.net/interforum/ ) , held in Seoul on 31 March and 1 April 2006.
Three political powers should exist according to Montesquieu's traditional distinction: legislative, executive and judicial. Contemporary States are still organised under this doctrine, which is based upon constitutional monarchy. However, nobody can deny the existence of other powers: economic and media ones. For quite some time economic power has started its assault of media power. Once both become concentrated into one, the political powers are either mere marionettes in their hands or else economic power directly assumes all powers as a natural second phase of this process. Berlusconi’s reign in Italy was the most transparent example of a merger between economic, media and political powers.