There is reasonably common agreement that there is an identifiable capitalist or ruling class. Marx pointed out that the capitalist or ruling class own the means of material production and consequently also manage the means of mental production. Their ruling thoughts and ways of looking at the world filter down to the rest of society.

Marx's unique view has been developed by neo-Marxist such as Hall et al examining the late-twentieth-century role of the mass media. They propose an explanation in terms of the way the influential ruling class set the agenda for their domination ideas and direct or indirect control. Also they influence the content of the mass media. To put it another way, capitalist and mass media are seen as having common interest to preserve the status quo. Hall showed how the sources of information coming from the police and legal authorities in relation to the...