# How true is the Dictator's quote "US media is free but controlled by one person and his family"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 4, 2014, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-true-is-the-dictators-quote-us-media-is-free-but-controlled-by-one-person-and-his-family/694768 "2014-08-04T07:20:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![guesswhoiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e274bd/32.png) [@guesswhoiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guesswhoiam)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2014, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-true-is-the-dictators-quote-us-media-is-free-but-controlled-by-one-person-and-his-family/694768/1 "2014-08-04T07:20:51Z")
One of the memorable quote from the movie _The Dictator_ is when the General sarcastically try to convince Americans about the supposed benefits of dictatorships: > [@](#): > > Why are you guys so anti-dictators? Imagine if America was a dictatorship. You could let 1% of the people have all the nation’s wealth. You could help your rich friends get richer by cutting their taxes. And bailing them out when they gamble and lose. You could ignore the needs of the poor for health care and education. **Your media would appear free, but would secretly be controlled by one person and his family**. You could wiretap phones. You could torture foreign prisoners. You could have rigged elections. You could lie about why you go to war. You could fill your prisons with one particular racial group, and no one would complain. You could use the media to scare the people into supporting policies that are against their interests. How true is the bolded accusation? At least about the major traditional media (e.g. television and big newspapers), how true is the accusation that they are ultimately owned by a very small group of people? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2014, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-true-is-the-dictators-quote-us-media-is-free-but-controlled-by-one-person-and-his-family/694768/2 "2014-08-04T08:55:30Z")
[Rupert Moloch.](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Murdoch) I mean, Murdoch. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2014, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-true-is-the-dictators-quote-us-media-is-free-but-controlled-by-one-person-and-his-family/694768/3 "2014-08-04T09:14:31Z")
Im guessing not true at all. I also assume the term “media” here is being used in an old fashioned pre internet sense. Taking no account of internet news sites, blogs and such. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2014, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-true-is-the-dictators-quote-us-media-is-free-but-controlled-by-one-person-and-his-family/694768/4 "2014-08-04T09:18:47Z")
Not true. It is at least five people and their families. ---
**Author:** ![spifflog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@spifflog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spifflog)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2014, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-true-is-the-dictators-quote-us-media-is-free-but-controlled-by-one-person-and-his-family/694768/5 "2014-08-04T13:56:02Z")
Not true at all. Everyone know it’s the Stonecutters. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2014, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-true-is-the-dictators-quote-us-media-is-free-but-controlled-by-one-person-and-his-family/694768/6 "2014-08-04T15:43:25Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Not true. It is at least five people and their families. Yep. The Queen, The Vatican, The Gettys, The Rothschilds, _and_ Colonel Sanders before he went tits up. Oh, I hated the Colonel with his wee _beady_ eyes, and that smug look on his face. “Oh, you’re gonna buy my chicken! Ohhhhh!” ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2014, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-true-is-the-dictators-quote-us-media-is-free-but-controlled-by-one-person-and-his-family/694768/7 "2014-08-04T20:20:24Z")
One of my Facebook buddies posted about the anti-Israeli media. Um, don’t they control the media and Hollywood? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2014, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-true-is-the-dictators-quote-us-media-is-free-but-controlled-by-one-person-and-his-family/694768/8 "2014-08-05T12:33:59Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Not true. It is at least five people and their families. Comcast Disney Fox Time Warner DirectTV Source = [Forbes](http://www.forbes.com/sites/vannale/2014/05/07/global-2000-the-worlds-largest-media-companies-of-2014/) These companies just sprinkle a little news in with all their advertising, just sit a watch any of the above’s news casts and it’s like better than WebMD. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2014, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-true-is-the-dictators-quote-us-media-is-free-but-controlled-by-one-person-and-his-family/694768/9 "2014-08-05T14:30:23Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > These companies just sprinkle a little news in with all their advertising, just sit a watch any of the above’s news casts and it’s like better than WebMD. If the aliens are watching our broadcast signals, they’ve got to be wondering how we managed to populate a whole planet when so many of us can’t maintain an erection. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2014, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-true-is-the-dictators-quote-us-media-is-free-but-controlled-by-one-person-and-his-family/694768/10 "2014-08-05T22:01:02Z")
Are we talking about both the Liberal Media and the Regular Media? ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2014, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-true-is-the-dictators-quote-us-media-is-free-but-controlled-by-one-person-and-his-family/694768/11 "2014-08-05T22:02:50Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > If the aliens are watching our broadcast signals, they’ve got to be wondering how we managed to populate a whole planet when so many of us can’t maintain an erection. _Galaxy Quest_ comes to mind … ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2014, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-true-is-the-dictators-quote-us-media-is-free-but-controlled-by-one-person-and-his-family/694768/12 "2014-08-05T22:07:53Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Comcast > Disney > Fox > Time Warner > DirectTV > > Source = [Forbes](http://www.forbes.com/sites/vannale/2014/05/07/global-2000-the-worlds-largest-media-companies-of-2014/) > > These companies just sprinkle a little news in with all their advertising, just sit a watch any of the above’s news casts and it’s like better than WebMD. Clear Channel? ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-true-is-the-dictators-quote-us-media-is-free-but-controlled-by-one-person-and-his-family/694768/13 "2014-08-06T04:55:13Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Clear Channel? “Clear Channel’s a dear channel”… -Erick Idle’s “F\*\*\* the FCC” song. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-true-is-the-dictators-quote-us-media-is-free-but-controlled-by-one-person-and-his-family/694768/14 "2014-08-11T21:45:50Z")
The movie “The Dictator”? 😕 Is that the one where Charlie Chaplin looks like Hitler? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-true-is-the-dictators-quote-us-media-is-free-but-controlled-by-one-person-and-his-family/694768/15 "2014-08-11T23:26:07Z")
I’m pretty sure the OP is referring to “The Dictator” and not “The Great Dictator”. At least, I don’t recall Charlie Chaplin ever using the phrase “you guys”. > [@](#): > > Your media would appear free, but would secretly be controlled by one person and his family. Keith Olbermann? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-true-is-the-dictators-quote-us-media-is-free-but-controlled-by-one-person-and-his-family/694768/16 "2014-08-11T23:36:33Z")
Or _any_ phrase, for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-true-is-the-dictators-quote-us-media-is-free-but-controlled-by-one-person-and-his-family/694768/17 "2014-08-12T00:56:20Z")
I believe that the fact that the public is aware of all the other things being insinuated at, like torturing prisoners, is a pretty good indicator that even if the media was being controlled by one person, that one person isn’t the dictator of the nation nor in his pocket. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-true-is-the-dictators-quote-us-media-is-free-but-controlled-by-one-person-and-his-family/694768/18 "2014-08-12T21:13:34Z")
> [@spifflog](#): > > Not true at all. Everyone know it’s the Stonecutters. Everybody knows those cutters are nothing but trouble. Especially that one that talks Italian and rides that bike everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-true-is-the-dictators-quote-us-media-is-free-but-controlled-by-one-person-and-his-family/694768/19 "2014-08-12T21:52:34Z")
Almost none of it true… but Sacha Baron Cohen thinks all of it is true, and that he made a devastatingly witty satirical condemnation of the USA. ---
**Author:** ![Knowledgable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/67e7ee/32.png) [@Knowledgable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowledgable)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2014, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-true-is-the-dictators-quote-us-media-is-free-but-controlled-by-one-person-and-his-family/694768/20 "2014-08-13T04:12:20Z")
There is no such possibility of a case, assuming it would be an extraordinarily hard job coordinating all media outlets with your beliefs. Although, I have read some articles about how 6 Companies own 90% percent of the media in US: > **[These 6 Corporations Control 90% Of The Media In America](https://www.businessinsider.com/these-6-corporations-control-90-of-the-media-in-america-2012-6)** [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-true-is-the-dictators-quote-us-media-is-free-but-controlled-by-one-person-and-his-family/694768.md?page=2)