Contradiction The Schiller-McChesney tradition emphasises strategic uses of power. There is no doubt that such strategic uses of power by businesses are common and it is wrong to dismiss the approach of Schiller and others as ‘conspiracy theory’ (an accusation sometimes levelled at political economy approaches in gen- eral). But in emphasising concerted strategy, this tradition underestimates the contradictions in the system. The cultural industries approach’s empha- sis on problems and contradictions, on the partial and incomplete process of commodifying culture, provides a more accurate picture of cultural produc- tion. It allows for contradiction withinindustrial, commercial cultural pro- duction, rather than assuming a polarity betweencorporations and non-profit ‘alternative’ producers, as in the Schiller-McChesney tradition.
