1. Each of the three major television networks is
owned by a larger corporation. Use the search box below to find out who owns
ABC, CBS
& NBC.
What other businesses do the owners engage in? How do you think this
affects what you see?
2. Read an excerpt from The Media
Monopoly by Ben H. Bagdikian or use the search box to find
additional material about this book. What points is the author making and
how does it relate to Reiman's argument?
3. Reiman discusses the prison-industrial
complex and how there is a growing number of businesses making money from
the growth in prison. Go to the Corrections
Yellow Pages and report on the number of categories in which they have
listings. Explore the number of businesses in a category or see how many
are in your state.
4. Go to the private prison section of
PaulsJusticePage.
From the resources there, write a paper on some of the current problems
regarding private prisons.
5. Read through the rules for the game of
Monopoly in
a Stratified Society. It's similar to the board game, but with a few
changes made to reflect that not everyone starts off with the same bank
account and from the same square. Play for at least an hour and record
your experiences, being sure to include the reactions of those in the
lower class and how those with privilege used their rule making
power.
6. Read
the short essay on Ideology that Reiman's gave to the American Society of
Criminology to mark 25 years of the Rich Get Richer being in print.
How does he explain what ideology is? Can it be reduced to a notion of
'false consciousness'? What does he mean by 'moral slant'?
7. Read the report, OFF BALANCE: Youth, Race & Crime in the News.
What were the main findings of the report, as they relate to Reiman's
argument? What are the recommendations for change based on the findings?
