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few growth industries, traditionally located in areas of
high male unemployment and employing a workforce
largely comprised of part-time, female – and low-paid
– workers.
One of the most disturbing parts of the book is
when it focuses on the issue of censorship. As the
book explains, the strategies of retailers such as Wal-
Mart – essentially, bulldozing the competition out of
business – means that, as one record company executive
admits, “Wal-Mart is the only game in town”. It’s
something the chain hasn’t been slow to realise, and
the company’s pro-family stance means that it regularly
practices censorship. Magazine covers have to
be pre-vetted by the company; if they aren’t and Wal-
Mart feels the cover is ‘inappropriate’, the publication
will be de-listed – in other words, the retailer will
never stock that publication again. Record companies
regularly tone down releases to make them appropriate
for Wal-Mart’s censors, and magazines know better
than to feature anything less than wholesome. It’s
a worrying trend as, through sheer economic muscle,
Wal-Mart effectively controls what the public is allowed
to read, watch or listen to.
“Media concentration is high, and increasing. Furthermore,
those who occupy managerial positions in
the media … belong to the same privileged elites, and
might be expected to share the perceptions, aspirations,
and attitudes of their associates, reflecting their own
BUY Naomi Klein books online from and
class interests as well. Journalists entering the system
are unlikely to make their way unless they conform to
these ideological pressures” – Noam Chomsky
One key area highlighted by No Logo is the increasingly
incestuous corporate world, where the same
companies own television stations, record companies
and newspapers. British readers will be familiar with
the Sun newspaper’s regular plugs for Sky TV and Fox
Movies, all of whom share the same parent company,
but the book describes how the links between companies
can alter the news itself. An expose of theme
parks by ABC was spiked after the reporters uncovered
shocking events at Disney, ABC’s owners, and Klein
describes a number of similar occurrences in other
news media.
This ‘corporate synergy’ has an effect on politics,
too. Klein recounts how journalists are expected to
give certain politicians an easy ride if those politicians
are responsible for handing out valuable broadcasting
licences to a newspaper’s parent company – a tradition
that’s also well-established in the UK.
Klein argues that corporate interference can also
cost lives. The majority of American universities work
in ‘partnership’ with brands, carrying out research or
helping develop new designs for training shoes. Klein
asks whether such links devalue the traditional independence
of universities – almost every sponsorship
contract, explains Klein, includes a ‘gagging clause’
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