Media Ownership and Public Opinion Control

"He who controls the media, controls the minds of the public." Discuss this statement

above with reference to media ownership and the influence of powerful individuals and corporations

on public opinion. Public opinion is often shaped by powerful individuals and corporations

who own the media. In this essay, I will demonstrate this by outlining the agenda-setting

theory introduced by Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw, and as a counterargument, I will use critiques

of this theory and Chomsky's propaganda model theory. Furthermore, I will explain how

Elon Musk's ownership of X during the 2024 US presidential election influence its outcome,

and I will outline Denis O'Brien's influence on Irish media. The agenda-setting