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The immense reach and heft of the mass media economy raises some complicated questions—such as what role government should play in regulating media ownership. Should citizens step up demands for more accountability from media? Is American culture, expressed through our mass media, hurting other cultures? And is concentration of ownership in the media damaging our democracy? To explore possible answers to these questions, we examine how media industries are structured, how companies in these industries operate, and how the Internet is transforming the media economy.