Robert Waterman McChesney (/məkˈtʃɛsni/; born December 22, 1952) is an American professor notable in the history and political economy of communications, and the role media play in democratic and capitalist societies.

[4][5] He attended The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, where he studied history and political economy.

[6] After college, McChesney worked for a time as a sports stringer for United Press International (UPI) and published a weekly newspaper.

He describes media organizations as a government-sanctioned oligopoly, owned by a few highly profitable corporate entities.

They have legislative influence and control news coverage and can distort public understanding of media issues.