Broadcasting and media covers television, radio, and other outlets that reach the public, and the government's role in overseeing them. The Federal Communications Commission licenses broadcasters, Congress decides how public media is funded, and the First Amendment limits what government may do about content. Courts and antitrust agencies also weigh in on media ownership.
People usually ask how public and commercial broadcasting differ, whether government may pressure networks over what they air, and how broadcast licenses work. They also ask about public funding for media, how ownership mergers are reviewed, how bias and objectivity are judged, and where free speech protections end and regulation begins.
An independent team explaining how government works
Netflix announced a deal to acquire the film and television studios of Warner Bros. Discovery, alongside its premium streaming service HBO Max and the HBO cable…
A reader writes us to ask: "There are enough sources of information, do we really need funding for public media?" In summer 2025, a decades-long political…
A reader writes us to ask: "There are enough sources of information, do we really need funding for public media?" The debate over federal funding for…
For a century, the Federal Communications Commission has wrestled with technology that outpaces the laws designed to govern it. From the crackle of early radio to…
Judge Judy's courtroom offers a no-nonsense judge, rapid-fire questions, and a final, decisive ruling all within a single television segment. While entertaining, this popular…
In American democracy, few principles are as foundational as the right of the accused to a fair trial and the right of the public…
The First Amendment quietly governs nearly every movie you watch and song you hear. It's the legal force behind the scenes that determines what…
The American media landscape is a complex ecosystem comprised of diverse entities, each with distinct operational models, missions, and influences. Two primary structures dominate…
The radio and television signals reaching American homes operate under two fundamentally different systems: public broadcasting and commercial broadcasting. Public broadcasting serves citizens first,…
In an era of unprecedented information flow, understanding media bias and media objectivity is crucial for every citizen. The news media shapes how we…
