Ben H. Bagdikian

About the Author

Ben H. Bagdikian is a pioneering journalist, media critic, and former dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, whose career spans over seven decades of incisive reporting on the power structures shaping American society. Born in 1920 in Turkey to Armenian parents, he immigrated to the United States as a child and rose to prominence as an investigative reporter for outlets like The Washington Post, where he exposed government secrecy and corporate influence. Bagdikian's work has long championed press freedom and warned against the dangers of media consolidation, earning him the George Polk Award and a spot on the Pulitzer Prize board. In his seminal book, The New Media Monopoly: A Completely Revised and Updated Edition with Seven New Chapters, he dissects how a handful of conglomerates dominate information flow, threatening democracy and diversity in the digital age. His enduring legacy lies in his fearless advocacy for a free and independent press that serves the public good.