The Media's Financial Influence on Politics

John Dunbar

The Center for Public Integrity, Washington, D.C.

February 17th
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
McCune Conference Room,
Interdisciplinary Humanities Center,
6th floor of the Humanities and
Social Sciences Building, UCSB
UCTV Broadcast

Part of the Carsey-Wolf Center for Film, Television and New Media’s Media Ownership Project. Sponsored by the Rupe Chair in the Social Effects of Mass Communication and by KCSB.
Refreshments and reception after the presentation.

The Center for Public Integrity recently released “Networks of Influence: The Political Power of the Comm-unications Industry,” which examines the political influence of the communications industry on Congress. The influence of these industries is particularly important given that they control the information that helps all Americans formulate their views on everything from whom to elect for president to what movie to see this weekend. The report focused on 1) lobbying, 2) campaign contributions, 3) industry-funded trips (“junkets”) and 4) government officials who routinely travel back and forth between public and private service (the “revolving door”).

John Dunbar, the principal analyst and writer, will discuss the results and implications of this report, and, more broadly, of the role, structure, and political influence of media corporations in the U.S. He is Project Manager for the Center for Public Integrity (www.publicintegrity.org), a nonprofit, nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization that conducts investigative research and reporting on public policy issues in the United States and around the world. Dunbar’s work has received numerous awards. His 2002 co-authored book, Capitol Offenders: How Private Interests Govern Our States, won the Investigative Reporters and Editors national book award. He is a graduate of the University of South Florida in Tampa, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communications.

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