Most Influential Changes In Journalism In The 1980s

In America, the 1980s was a time of political change, social tension, and music by Madonna. It was a decade full of new technologies and big changes. Journalism and other forms of media also saw many changes in the 1980s that helped it advance into the industry it has become today. Perhaps the most influential changes in journalism in the 1980s were a newfound competitiveness in the market caused by money, the advancement of cable television, and the deregulation of media during the Ronald Reagan administration.
As news networks began to grow, profits quickly became a big concern. Companies began merging into giant conglomerates, sometimes overtaking small family-owned businesses. These massive companies focused heavily on their stocks and the stock market; Wall Street became of high importance to news agencies. Eventually, broadcast news stations became more focused on the money and competing with their opponents rather than keeping up on the

According to The Press, Reagan’s administration heavily promoted the decrease of FCC involvement in the media. This allowed for journalists to have much more freedom to find and discuss events that they otherwise may not have been able to report. Due to deregulation, there was less restriction on what content could be shown on television, therefore journalists could report more freely and viewers were able to watch more channels with more news stations. (“The 1980s”). According to PBS, “the number of television stations any single entity could own grew from seven in 1981 to 12 in 1985” and the rules for how much non-entertainment programing was allowed were abolished. People had so much more access to information they hadn’t before the deregulation of journalism and there were way less rules about what reporters could and could not