Power in America today is control of the means of communication.

White’s remark distills a central theme of modern democratic politics: formal authority (office, wealth, institutions) matters less than the ability to shape what people know, notice, and believe. “Means of communication” points to the press, broadcasting, and other mass-media channels that set agendas, frame events, and confer legitimacy. In this view, power is exercised not only through laws or coercion but through narrative—deciding which facts circulate, which voices are amplified, and which interpretations become “common sense.” The quote also implies a warning: when communication channels concentrate in a few hands, democratic deliberation can be steered or narrowed, making media ownership and access a political question.