Media ownership
The structure of corporate, government, or individual control over a news outlet — a primary determinant of editorial independence.
Modern news ownership falls into four patterns: (1) Public-trust (NPR, BBC) — government-adjacent but with statutory independence; (2) Family/founder (NYT Sulzbergers, WSJ pre-Murdoch) — long horizons, mixed independence; (3) Conglomerate (most cable news) — short horizons, vulnerable to advertiser and corporate-parent pressure; (4) Billionaire patron (Washington Post, LA Times, Time) — wildcard depending on owner. Concentrated ownership has been rising globally for decades; in many markets a single company owns most local papers. Reader-funded models (Substack, member-supported nonprofits) are a 2020s counter-trend. See also: editorial independence.