DIMENSIONS OF THE GLOBAL INFORMATION IMBALANCE 101 the information and communication sphere. Herbert Schiller, the American sociologist, says in his book. The Mind Managers, . . .These aggressive business empires organise the world market as best they can subject, of course, to the uneven and partial constraints of natural regulation, often minimal and differential levels of economic development in the areas in which they are active. In furthering their goals of securing world wide markets and unimpeded profitability they are compelled to influence, and if possible dominate, every cultural and information space that separates them from total control of their global national environment; it is a permanent condition that arises out of a market system and the way that system establishes priorities and consequently the rewards and sanctions.2 Currently 15 such TNCs dominate the manufacture of radio, television and printing equipment, including electronic printing devices, radio and television communication satellites, paper inks and other elements of the mass media technological infrastructure. It is alarming to note that US capital predominates in 10 of these giant corporations. The testimony for the inter-link between the commercial, military and communication interests of the imperialists is the fact that the giant transnational corporations in the field of communication and information either belong or are closely related to military-industrial monopolies—IBM, Westinghouse, Western Electric of United States; Siemens of West Germany; and Matra of France. The above statistics clearly indicate the presence of information monopoly in the international information and communication system. The interests of these monopolies do not end in the information field only. Even military and strategic interests are pursued through the media operators. Keoth Fuller, President of Associated Press, had frankly said, 'Our aim is to supply an objective news report for the American papers that own us. They pay the bills and we are in business to cover the news for them.'3 INFORMATION BUSINESS To further their political, economic and ideological interests the imperialists see information as a material good rather than a development promoter; they consider information as a commodity which can be bought and sold in the national or international market. This development is a result of increasing imbalance in the economic field and the imperialist domination of the world market. The concept that these giant corporations are purely commercial institutions engaged in business is only a partial truth. They not only represent the commercial interests of monopoly capital in the imperialist nations but also their military and political interests. This is quite clear from the fact that the UPI and some other TNCs continued