Example communications dissertation topic 5:

Pan globalism within news agencies: Too much communication in too few hands?

Using the events that led up to the establishment of the Leveson Inquiry, this dissertation looks at the role of news agencies and pan global news corporations. In so doing it compares levels of editorial independence within the US, UK and Australia by comparing the scope and diversity in editorial comments in two distinct time frames: the period 1920 – 1930 (in which the majority of news titles were independently owned entities) and 2002-2012. This dissertation questions whether it is appropriate, given recent events, for the owners of today’s dominant national newspapers to own titles across the globe (given the control over the dissemination of information that this may empower them with) and asks what can be done, if anything, to break up the effective pan-global monopoly of news media interests.

Suggested initial topic reading:

• Fuchs, C. (2010). ‘New imperialism: Information and media imperialism’, Global Media and Communication, Vol. 6(1), pp. 33-60.
• Golan, G.J., Johnson, T.J. and Wanta, W. (2010). International media communication in a global age. New York: Routledge.
• Wahl-Jorgenson, K. and Hanitzsch, T. (2009). Handbook of journalism studies. Abingdon: Routledge.