In our chapter on mass media, we discuss the trend toward greater consolidation, whereby relatively few big corporations own a growing share of media outlets (pp. 363-365). One critic of consolidation was Arianna Huffington, founder of the Huffington Post. In 2004, she wrote in The American Prospect:
Having the media controlled by roughly 20 or so megacorporations has clearly had a deleterious effect -- lessening competition, squelching dissent, choking off debate, and elevating profit over the public good.
Today, she announced that AOL is acquiring the Huffington Post. She writes:
By combining HuffPost with AOL's network of sites, thriving video initiative, local focus, and international reach, we know we'll be creating a company that can have an enormous impact, reaching a global audience on every imaginable platform.
