Mass Media Orthodoxy

The established, institutionalized set of beliefs and practices that define mainstream mass media—the often-unexamined assumptions about how media should be organized, what counts as professional journalism, how audiences should be addressed, and what role media plays in society. Mass media orthodoxy includes commitments: that media should be commercial, that advertising is the natural funding model, that professionalism means neutrality, that audiences are consumers, that "balance" means centering mainstream views, that media's role is to inform within existing frameworks rather than challenge them. Like all orthodoxies, it shapes what media becomes, but it functions as ideology—making commercial, corporate media seem like simply "how media works" rather than one model among many. Mass media orthodoxy determines what information reaches publics, what perspectives are legitimized, and what counts as "responsible" journalism versus "activism" or "bias."

Example: "The reporter followed mass media orthodoxy perfectly—got quotes from both parties, didn't question the framing, presented the issue as a matter of individual choice rather than systemic forces. It was professional, and it was useless."

Mass Media Orthodoxy by Dumu The Void March 17, 2026