Alan MacLeod on the capture of media systems by the planet’s mega-rich and the existential threat that poses to an open society and the free flow of information.

December 4, 2025

We are living in an era of unprecedented global inequality. Together, these seven individuals —  Musk, Ellison, Page, Brin, Bezos, Zuckerberg and Arnault — control more wealth than the bottom 50 percent of humanity (over 4 billion people) combined. Sitting on heretofore unimaginable fortunes, they have begun buying up assets, including media outlets, at record pace.

For billionaires, the utility of capturing the press is threefold: firstly, it shields them and their class from press scrutiny and criticism.

Second, it gives them a mouthpiece to push the public debate towards even more business-friendly laws and regulations. And third, they can use their outlets to champion any causes and promote any other agendas they have.

We have seen all three play out here, as, collectively, our press is rapidly moving towards more conservative, pro-Trump, pro-Israel positions, shutting out any dissenting voices from their ranks.

The effect on democracy, a free society, and the public’s right to a diversity of opinions has been highly deleterious. When it comes to media, we already suffered from an illusion of choice.

However, the supercharged concentration of ownership of American and global media in the hands of just a handful of individuals has only exacerbated this problem.

There once was a time that individuals looking for alternative viewpoints would simply go online to find them. But with censorship of dissenting opinions — particularly on Israel/Palestine — growing, this is becoming increasingly unviable.

In short, then, what the planet’s mega-rich capture of our media system shows is that billionaires are not only a serious drain on resources, but an existential threat to an open society and the free flow of information.

Read full piece at link below:

https://consortiumnews.com/2025/12/04/the-richest-men-in-the-world-are-media-moguls/