🏛️ Press Ownership

An examination of who controls the media and how concentrated ownership shapes the news we consume, public discourse, and democratic accountability.

Backstory

by Ken Auletta • 2003

Why America's best newspaper kept winning Pulitzers while its parent company kept losing money.

3.50

📰 News Industry 🖊️ Editorial Independence 📊 Business Journalism

Backstory 91%

Why America's best newspaper kept winning Pulitzers while its parent company kept losing money.

by Ken Auletta 2003

3.50

74 ratings

📰 News Industry 🖊️ Editorial Independence 📊 Business Journalism

Slanted

by Sharyl Attkisson • 2020

How newsrooms kill inconvenient stories, and the words that tell you they're doing it.

4.31

1k+

📰 Media Bias 🎭 Narrative Control 🗣️ Weaponized Language

Slanted 89%

How newsrooms kill inconvenient stories, and the words that tell you they're doing it.

by Sharyl Attkisson 2020

4.31

1k+ ratings

📰 Media Bias 🎭 Narrative Control 🗣️ Weaponized Language

Conspiracy

by Ryan Holiday • 2018

How a billionaire secretly plotted for ten years to kill a media company, and won.

3.96

7k+

🎙️ Media Power ⚖️ Legal Warfare 📰 Media Ethics

Conspiracy 89%

How a billionaire secretly plotted for ten years to kill a media company, and won.

by Ryan Holiday 2018

3.96

7k+ ratings

🎙️ Media Power ⚖️ Legal Warfare 📰 Media Ethics

Manufacturing Consent

by Edward S. Herman • 1988

Why a free press produces propaganda as reliably as a state ministry: the structural answer.

4.23

25k+

📰 Media Criticism 📢 Propaganda Studies ⚙️ Structural Bias

Manufacturing Consent 89%

Why a free press produces propaganda as reliably as a state ministry: the structural answer.

by Edward S. Herman 1988

4.23

25k+ ratings

📰 Media Criticism 📢 Propaganda Studies ⚙️ Structural Bias

Propaganda Blitz

by David Edwards • 2018

The news isn't broken. It's working exactly as designed: manufacturing consent for the powerful.

4.28

184

🧐 Media Criticism 📣 War Propaganda 🏢 Corporate Power

Propaganda Blitz 89%

The news isn't broken. It's working exactly as designed: manufacturing consent for the powerful.

by David Edwards 2018

4.28

184 ratings

🧐 Media Criticism 📣 War Propaganda 🏢 Corporate Power

Enemy of the People

by Marvin Kalb • 2018

Trump's war on the press follows a 1950s script. The democracy-saving ending is not guaranteed.

4.13

137

🇺🇸 American Democracy 📰 Press Freedom 🕵️ Mccarthyism

Enemy of the People 89%

Trump's war on the press follows a 1950s script. The democracy-saving ending is not guaranteed.

by Marvin Kalb 2018

4.13

137 ratings

🇺🇸 American Democracy 📰 Press Freedom 🕵️ Mccarthyism

You Can't Read This Book

by Nick Cohen • 2012

Censorship didn't vanish after book burnings. It learned to smile and send a legal notice.

4.08

736

🗽 Free Speech Defense 🙊 Religious Censorship 🏢 Corporate Silence

You Can't Read This Book 89%

Censorship didn't vanish after book burnings. It learned to smile and send a legal notice.

by Nick Cohen 2012

4.08

736 ratings

🗽 Free Speech Defense 🙊 Religious Censorship 🏢 Corporate Silence

How to Stand Up to a Dictator

by Maria Ressa • 2022

How to fight back when your government weaponizes social media, from the journalist who lived it.

4.36

7k+

🗞️ Press Freedom 🔴 Disinformation ⛓️ Authoritarianism

How to Stand Up to a Dictator 89%

How to fight back when your government weaponizes social media, from the journalist who lived it.

by Maria Ressa 2022

4.36

7k+ ratings

🗞️ Press Freedom 🔴 Disinformation ⛓️ Authoritarianism

Twilight

by Mark Cotta Vaz • 2008

Behind every media empire is a family at war. Lessons in power, loyalty, and survival.

4.20

451k+

🏢 Corporate Dynasties 📺 Media Empires 💔 Family Dysfunction

Twilight 89%

Behind every media empire is a family at war. Lessons in power, loyalty, and survival.

by Mark Cotta Vaz 2008

4.20

451k+ ratings

🏢 Corporate Dynasties 📺 Media Empires 💔 Family Dysfunction

Operation Hollywood

by David L. Robb • 2004

The military lent Hollywood its jets and ships, then demanded veto power over the script.

3.46

🚫 Military Censorship 📢 Propaganda Studies 🏛️ Pentagon Influence

Operation Hollywood 89%

The military lent Hollywood its jets and ships, then demanded veto power over the script.

by David L. Robb 2004

3.46

72 ratings

🚫 Military Censorship 📢 Propaganda Studies 🏛️ Pentagon Influence

Personal History

by Katharine Graham • 1997

Her husband's suicide left her publisher of The Washington Post. The board expected her to sell.

4.09

25k+

📰 Media Industry 🏢 Family Business ✍️ Editorial Integrity

Personal History 89%

Her husband's suicide left her publisher of The Washington Post. The board expected her to sell.

by Katharine Graham 1997

4.09

25k+ ratings

📰 Media Industry 🏢 Family Business ✍️ Editorial Integrity

The Silenced Majority

by Amy Goodman • 2012

The news decides which wars and uprisings didn't happen. Here is what they buried.

4.06

251

📻 Independent Media 📺 Media Criticism 🔍 Investigative Journalism

The Silenced Majority 88%

The news decides which wars and uprisings didn't happen. Here is what they buried.

by Amy Goodman 2012

4.06

251 ratings

📻 Independent Media 📺 Media Criticism 🔍 Investigative Journalism

Truth in Our Times

by David E. McCraw • 2019

A newspaper lawyer versus a president who called the press the enemy. The inside story.

4.14

609

🗽 Press Freedom ⚖️ First Amendment 🔒 Government Secrecy

Truth in Our Times 88%

A newspaper lawyer versus a president who called the press the enemy. The inside story.

by David E. McCraw 2019

4.14

609 ratings

🗽 Press Freedom ⚖️ First Amendment 🔒 Government Secrecy

Manufacturing Consent

by Mark Achbar • 1994

No conspiracy, no censorship: why the news in a free society still serves the powerful.

4.41

699

📖 Critical Media Studies 📊 Political Economy 🔍 Propaganda Studies

Manufacturing Consent 88%

No conspiracy, no censorship: why the news in a free society still serves the powerful.

by Mark Achbar 1994

4.41

699 ratings

📖 Critical Media Studies 📊 Political Economy 🔍 Propaganda Studies

Hate Inc.

by Matt Taibbi • 2019

The news isn't failing to inform you. It's succeeding at its real job: selling your outrage.

4.09

6k+

📰 Media Criticism 😡 Outrage Economy 🎭 Media Manipulation

Hate Inc. 88%

The news isn't failing to inform you. It's succeeding at its real job: selling your outrage.

by Matt Taibbi 2019

4.09

6k+ ratings

📰 Media Criticism 😡 Outrage Economy 🎭 Media Manipulation

United States of Distraction

by Mickey Huff • 2019

Six companies own nearly all American media. The product is a public too distracted for democracy.

3.74

114

🗞️ Media Criticism 📰 News Literacy 📡 Propaganda Studies

United States of Distraction 88%

Six companies own nearly all American media. The product is a public too distracted for democracy.

by Mickey Huff 2019

3.74

114 ratings

🗞️ Media Criticism 📰 News Literacy 📡 Propaganda Studies

National Security Cinema

by Matthew Alford • 2017

The Pentagon secretly approved or killed your favorite movies, one script at a time.

3.81

113

📢 Propaganda Studies 🎬 Military-Entertainment Complex 📺 Media Manipulation

National Security Cinema 88%

The Pentagon secretly approved or killed your favorite movies, one script at a time.

by Matthew Alford 2017

3.81

113 ratings

📢 Propaganda Studies 🎬 Military-Entertainment Complex 📺 Media Manipulation

inside tagesschau

by Alexander Teske • 2025

An insider on groupthink, ratings, and bias behind Germany’s most trusted newscast.

3.63

📰 Media Criticism 📺 Public Broadcasting 🇩🇪 German Politics

inside tagesschau 88%

An insider on groupthink, ratings, and bias behind Germany’s most trusted newscast.

by Alexander Teske 2025

3.63

97 ratings

📰 Media Criticism 📺 Public Broadcasting 🇩🇪 German Politics

Journalism and PR

by John Lloyd • 2014

PR is bypassing the newsroom and speaking directly to you. Journalism hasn't caught up.

3.78

📢 Public Relations 📺 Media Studies 💻 Digital Disruption

Journalism and PR 88%

PR is bypassing the newsroom and speaking directly to you. Journalism hasn't caught up.

by John Lloyd 2014

3.78

9 ratings

📢 Public Relations 📺 Media Studies 💻 Digital Disruption

Trust Me, I'm Lying

by Ryan Holiday • 2012

Blogs run on lies. A former insider shows who supplies them and why truth loses.

3.85

12k+

📰 Media Manipulation 📈 Attention Economy 🔍 Misinformation

Trust Me, I'm Lying 88%

Blogs run on lies. A former insider shows who supplies them and why truth loses.

by Ryan Holiday 2012

3.85

12k+ ratings

📰 Media Manipulation 📈 Attention Economy 🔍 Misinformation

The Little Book of Campaign Etiquette

by Stephen Hess • 1998

The unwritten rules campaigns and journalists keep breaking, and the case for writing them down.

1.00

⚖️ Campaign Ethics 📰 Political Journalism 🔍 Media Bias

The Little Book of Campaign Etiquette Summary

The Little Book of Campaign Etiquette 88%

The unwritten rules campaigns and journalists keep breaking, and the case for writing them down.

by Stephen Hess 1998

1.00

1 ratings

⚖️ Campaign Ethics 📰 Political Journalism 🔍 Media Bias

Extremely Hardcore

by Zoë Schiffer • 2024

A $44 billion impulse buy, then mass layoffs, fleeing advertisers. The takeover from inside.

3.97

1k+

🏢 Corporate Takeovers 📱 Social Media Platforms 📰 Tech Journalism

Extremely Hardcore 88%

A $44 billion impulse buy, then mass layoffs, fleeing advertisers. The takeover from inside.

by Zoë Schiffer 2024

3.97

1k+ ratings

🏢 Corporate Takeovers 📱 Social Media Platforms 📰 Tech Journalism

Echo Chamber

by Kathleen Hall Jamieson • 2008

Three outlets, one ideology, and a shared strategy for keeping their audience inside the walls.

3.41

📡 Media Ecosystems ↔️ Political Polarization 🐘 Conservative Media

Echo Chamber 88%

Three outlets, one ideology, and a shared strategy for keeping their audience inside the walls.

by Kathleen Hall Jamieson 2008

3.41

49 ratings

📡 Media Ecosystems ↔️ Political Polarization 🐘 Conservative Media

The New Rulers of the World

by John Pilger • 2002

The global economy was built on mass graves. A reporter shows you who filled them.

4.14

1k+

🏴 Anti-Imperialism 🔍 Investigative Journalism 📰 Media Criticism

The New Rulers of the World 88%

The global economy was built on mass graves. A reporter shows you who filled them.

by John Pilger 2002

4.14

1k+ ratings

🏴 Anti-Imperialism 🔍 Investigative Journalism 📰 Media Criticism

Master Switch

by Tim Wu • 2010

Telephone, radio, film, TV: each began open and ended a monopoly. The internet is next.

3.89

8k+

🏢 Media Monopolies 📜 Information History 🔄 Technological Cycles

Master Switch 88%

Telephone, radio, film, TV: each began open and ended a monopoly. The internet is next.

by Tim Wu 2010

3.89

8k+ ratings

🏢 Media Monopolies 📜 Information History 🔄 Technological Cycles

The Smear

by Sharyl Attkisson • 2017

Billion-dollar industry of leaks, astroturf, and dark money controls the news. Insider shows how.

4.22

1k+

🎯 Character Assassination 📰 Media Manipulation 🤥 Fake News

The Smear 88%

Billion-dollar industry of leaks, astroturf, and dark money controls the news. Insider shows how.

by Sharyl Attkisson 2017

4.22

1k+ ratings

🎯 Character Assassination 📰 Media Manipulation 🤥 Fake News

Who Owns England?

by Guy Shrubsole • 2019

The secret 1% who own half of England: unmasking the aristocrats, royals, and oligarchs.

4.21

1k+

🏠 Land Ownership 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 English Land ✊ Land Reform

Who Owns England? 88%

The secret 1% who own half of England: unmasking the aristocrats, royals, and oligarchs.

by Guy Shrubsole 2019

4.21

1k+ ratings

🏠 Land Ownership 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 English Land ✊ Land Reform

The Long Slide

by Tucker Carlson • 2021

A reporter's thirty-year tour: magazine adventures, foreign wars, and the slow death of free speech.

4.13

2k+

📰 Political Journalism 📺 Media Criticism 🗣️ Free Speech

The Long Slide 88%

A reporter's thirty-year tour: magazine adventures, foreign wars, and the slow death of free speech.

by Tucker Carlson 2021

4.13

2k+ ratings

📰 Political Journalism 📺 Media Criticism 🗣️ Free Speech

Hard News

by Seth Mnookin • 2004

The New York Times's worst wound: how autocracy, not one fraudster, tore the newsroom apart.

3.91

274

🗞️ Media Ethics 📰 Newsroom Culture 🏛️ Institutional Failure

Hard News 88%

The New York Times's worst wound: how autocracy, not one fraudster, tore the newsroom apart.

by Seth Mnookin 2004

3.91

274 ratings

🗞️ Media Ethics 📰 Newsroom Culture 🏛️ Institutional Failure

The Big Picture

by Ben Fritz • 2018

How Marvel, Netflix, and the Chinese box office dismantled the movies you used to love.

4.02

2k+

🎬 Hollywood Economics 📺 Streaming Disruption 🎥 Franchise Filmmaking

The Big Picture 88%

How Marvel, Netflix, and the Chinese box office dismantled the movies you used to love.

by Ben Fritz 2018

4.02

2k+ ratings

🎬 Hollywood Economics 📺 Streaming Disruption 🎥 Franchise Filmmaking

Copaganda

by Alec Karakatsanis • 2025

The hidden PR system that converts police spin into headlines and crime panic into tougher laws.

4.49

582

🎥 Media Criticism ⚖️ Criminal Justice 🔒 Mass Incarceration

Copaganda 88%

The hidden PR system that converts police spin into headlines and crime panic into tougher laws.

by Alec Karakatsanis 2025

4.49

582 ratings

🎥 Media Criticism ⚖️ Criminal Justice 🔒 Mass Incarceration

Dragnet Nation

by Julia Angwin • 2014

A journalist tried to opt out of digital surveillance for a year. The system refused.

3.68

659

🛡️ Digital Surveillance 🔒 Data Privacy 👁️ Mass Surveillance

Dragnet Nation 87%

A journalist tried to opt out of digital surveillance for a year. The system refused.

by Julia Angwin 2014

3.68

659 ratings

🛡️ Digital Surveillance 🔒 Data Privacy 👁️ Mass Surveillance

Kleptopia

by Tom Burgis • 2020

Soviet collapse privatized a theft machine stretching from Kazakh mines to the White House.

3.80

4k+

🕵️ Investigative Journalism 🏝️ Offshore Finance 🪆 Post-Soviet Oligarchs

Kleptopia 87%

Soviet collapse privatized a theft machine stretching from Kazakh mines to the White House.

by Tom Burgis 2020

3.80

4k+ ratings

🕵️ Investigative Journalism 🏝️ Offshore Finance 🪆 Post-Soviet Oligarchs

You are Being Lied To

by Russ Kick • 2001

The institutions you trust most are filtering what you know. Here is how, and why.

3.87

1k+

📰 Media Criticism 📜 Hidden Histories 📢 Propaganda Studies

You are Being Lied To 87%

The institutions you trust most are filtering what you know. Here is how, and why.

by Russ Kick 2001

3.87

1k+ ratings

📰 Media Criticism 📜 Hidden Histories 📢 Propaganda Studies

Anatomy of Fake News

by Nolan Higdon • 2020

Censorship backfires against fake news. Tech fixes flop. The only cure is a skill schools abandoned.

4.00

📰 Media Literacy 📋 News Literacy 🔍 Disinformation Studies

Anatomy of Fake News 87%

Censorship backfires against fake news. Tech fixes flop. The only cure is a skill schools abandoned.

by Nolan Higdon 2020

4.00

35 ratings

📰 Media Literacy 📋 News Literacy 🔍 Disinformation Studies

The Panama Papers

by Frederik Obermaier • 2016

11.5 million documents arrived at a German newspaper, exposing the secret world of offshore wealth.

4.08

5k+

🏝️ Offshore Finance 🏛️ Political Corruption 🔍 Investigative Journalism

The Panama Papers 87%

11.5 million documents arrived at a German newspaper, exposing the secret world of offshore wealth.

by Frederik Obermaier 2016

4.08

5k+ ratings

🏝️ Offshore Finance 🏛️ Political Corruption 🔍 Investigative Journalism

The People's Platform

by Astra Taylor • 2012

Digital abundance set culture free and made it cheap. Platforms got rich; creators got precarious.

4.04

610

🖥️ Internet Culture 🏭 Platform Capitalism 👁️ Attention Economy

The People's Platform 87%

Digital abundance set culture free and made it cheap. Platforms got rich; creators got precarious.

by Astra Taylor 2012

4.04

610 ratings

🖥️ Internet Culture 🏭 Platform Capitalism 👁️ Attention Economy

Free Speech

by Timothy Garton Ash • 2017

Free speech was built for a world of nations and newspapers. That world is gone.

3.96

312

🗣️ Free Speech 🌐 Internet Freedom 📰 Media And Democracy

Free Speech 87%

Free speech was built for a world of nations and newspapers. That world is gone.

by Timothy Garton Ash 2017

3.96

312 ratings

🗣️ Free Speech 🌐 Internet Freedom 📰 Media And Democracy

Very Bad People

by Patrick Alley • 2022

How three friends followed war-zone timber to European ports and brought down a dictator.

4.05

799

🛡️ Anti-Corruption 💎 Conflict Resources 📰 Investigative Journalism

Very Bad People 87%

How three friends followed war-zone timber to European ports and brought down a dictator.

by Patrick Alley 2022

4.05

799 ratings

🛡️ Anti-Corruption 💎 Conflict Resources 📰 Investigative Journalism

The Problem of Twelve

by John Coates • 2023

A few institutions now own and control almost everything: an old democratic trap with no clean exit.

3.52

177

🏛️ Corporate Governance ⚖️ Financial Regulation 💪 Concentrated Power

The Problem of Twelve 87%

A few institutions now own and control almost everything: an old democratic trap with no clean exit.

by John Coates 2023

3.52

177 ratings

🏛️ Corporate Governance ⚖️ Financial Regulation 💪 Concentrated Power

Static

by Amy Goodman • 2006

When government lies, the press should expose it. Instead, they broadcast the script.

4.05

384

📺 Media Criticism 🌐 U.S. Foreign Policy 🔍 Investigative Journalism

Static 87%

When government lies, the press should expose it. Instead, they broadcast the script.

by Amy Goodman 2006

4.05

384 ratings

📺 Media Criticism 🌐 U.S. Foreign Policy 🔍 Investigative Journalism

The End of Reality

by Jonathan Taplin • 2023

Four billionaires want $20 trillion for Mars, the metaverse, crypto, immortality. Who pays?

3.92

540

🏢 Tech Oligarchy 🐍 Libertarian Critique 👁️ Surveillance Capitalism

The End of Reality 87%

Four billionaires want $20 trillion for Mars, the metaverse, crypto, immortality. Who pays?

by Jonathan Taplin 2023

3.92

540 ratings

🏢 Tech Oligarchy 🐍 Libertarian Critique 👁️ Surveillance Capitalism

Our Dear Friends in Moscow

by Irina Borogan • 2025

Six friends chased a free Russian press. Two decades later, some wrote propaganda, some were dead.

4.07

238

🇷🇺 Post-Soviet Russia 📢 State Propaganda 📰 Press Freedom

Our Dear Friends in Moscow 87%

Six friends chased a free Russian press. Two decades later, some wrote propaganda, some were dead.

by Irina Borogan 2025

4.07

238 ratings

🇷🇺 Post-Soviet Russia 📢 State Propaganda 📰 Press Freedom

The Invention of Russia

by Arkady Ostrovsky • 2015

Television became the new Kremlin: how post-Soviet Russia was built on air, not on law.

4.01

2k+

🏚️ Post-Soviet Russia 🏛️ Russian Politics 📺 State Propaganda

The Invention of Russia 87%

Television became the new Kremlin: how post-Soviet Russia was built on air, not on law.

by Arkady Ostrovsky 2015

4.01

2k+ ratings

🏚️ Post-Soviet Russia 🏛️ Russian Politics 📺 State Propaganda

The Quiet Before

by Gal Beckerman • 2022

Why the movements that changed the world began with letters and zines, not viral posts.

3.79

485

🏴 Social Movements 📰 Media History 📢 Political Communication

The Quiet Before 87%

Why the movements that changed the world began with letters and zines, not viral posts.

by Gal Beckerman 2022

3.79

485 ratings

🏴 Social Movements 📰 Media History 📢 Political Communication

Context

by Cory Doctorow • 2011

3.66

372

🕸️ Internet Freedom 📜 Copyright Reform 🔐 Digital Rights

Context 87%

by Cory Doctorow 2011

3.66

372 ratings

🕸️ Internet Freedom 📜 Copyright Reform 🔐 Digital Rights

Private Empire

by Steve Coll • 2012

How ExxonMobil became a nation-like force, with its own intelligence, foreign policy, and security.

4.00

4k+

🛢️ Oil Industry 🏢 Corporate History 🔍 Investigative Journalism

Private Empire 87%

How ExxonMobil became a nation-like force, with its own intelligence, foreign policy, and security.

by Steve Coll 2012

4.00

4k+ ratings

🛢️ Oil Industry 🏢 Corporate History 🔍 Investigative Journalism

Modi, Muslims and Media

by Madhu Purnima Kishwar • 2014

No court convicted him. Every headline did. The evidence the Gujarat narrative left out.

3.83

125

🇮🇳 Indian Politics 🔥 Communal Violence 📰 Media Criticism

Modi, Muslims and Media 87%

No court convicted him. Every headline did. The evidence the Gujarat narrative left out.

by Madhu Purnima Kishwar 2014

3.83

125 ratings

🇮🇳 Indian Politics 🔥 Communal Violence 📰 Media Criticism

Hit Men

by Fredric Dannen • 1990

Payola never died. It just got a commission, a territory, and a threat of violence.

3.96

975

🎵 Music Business 💵 Payola 📋 Investigative Journalism

Hit Men 87%

Payola never died. It just got a commission, a territory, and a threat of violence.

by Fredric Dannen 1990

3.96

975 ratings

🎵 Music Business 💵 Payola 📋 Investigative Journalism

Butler to the World

by Oliver Bullough • 2022

How post-imperial Britain became a concierge service for oligarchs, criminals, and tax dodgers.

3.98

3k+

🏝️ Offshore Finance 💸 Money Laundering 🏛️ Regulatory Capture

Butler to the World 87%

How post-imperial Britain became a concierge service for oligarchs, criminals, and tax dodgers.

by Oliver Bullough 2022

3.98

3k+ ratings

🏝️ Offshore Finance 💸 Money Laundering 🏛️ Regulatory Capture

Compare Features	Free	Pro
📖 Read Summaries Read unlimited summaries. Free users get 3 per month
🎧 Listen to Summaries Listen to unlimited summaries in 40 languages	—
❤️ Unlimited Bookmarks Free users are limited to 4	—
📜 Unlimited History Free users are limited to 4	—
📥 Unlimited Downloads Free users are limited to 1	—

People love SoBrief

Join our global community of 600,000+ readers

★★★★★

This site is a total game-changer. I've been flying through book summaries like never before. Highly, highly recommend.

— Dave G

Worth my money and time, and really well made. I've never seen this quality of summaries on other websites. Very helpful!

— Em

Highly recommended!! Fantastic service. Perfect for those that want a little more than a teaser but not all the intricate details of a full audio book.

— Greg M