Media Capture And Corrupt Journalists

This book explores the form, dynamics, and main reasons for media capture and conspiracy between editors and executive politicians in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) since 2000. Situated in the literatures on Europeanization, democratization, party studies, and media studies, the book aims to connect these fields by showing that internal party dynamics play an important role in motivating executive politicians to hijack or collaborate with media. Against this backdrop, the book tells the story of Croatian journalism in the context of media-mafia conglomerates, political corruption, and media hijacking, and examines how "traditional" democratic drivers that the literature frequently cites, such as Europeanization and party competition, failed to prevent systematic transgressions by politicians. Methodologically, the book takes a two-pronged approach. First, nearly 50 interviews were conducted with Croatian investigative journalists, from which the narratives about the relationships between government politicians and editors over 15 years were reconstructed. In a second step, a sample of 40,000 media articles was subjected to a computational sentiment analysis, covering the same 15-year period and showing high levels of cooperation between corrupt politicians and corrupt media outlets.

Who controls the media today? There are many media systems across the globe that claim to be free yet whose independence has been eroded. As demagogues rise, independent voices have been squeezed out. Corporate-owned media companies that act in the service of power increasingly exercise soft censorship. Tech giants such as Facebook and Google have dramatically changed how people access information, with consequences that are only beginning to be felt. This book features pathbreaking analysis from journalists and academics of the changing nature and peril of media capture—how formerly independent institutions fall under the sway of governments, plutocrats, and corporations. Contributors including Emily Bell, Felix Salmon, Joshua Marshall, Joel Simon, and Nikki Usher analyze diverse cases of media capture worldwide—from the United Kingdom to Turkey to India and beyond—many drawn from firsthand experience. They examine the role played by new media companies and funders, showing how the confluence of the growth of big tech and falling revenues for legacy media has led to new forms of control. Contributions also shed light on how the rise of right-wing populists has catalyzed the crisis of global media. They also chart a way forward, exploring the growing need for a policy response and sustainable models for public-interest investigative journalism. Providing valuable insight into today’s urgent threats to media independence, Media Capture is essential reading for anyone concerned with defending press freedom in the digital age.

What happens to journalists who expose uncomfortable truths? "Silenced" answers this and other questions regarding censorship with the stories of journalists who risked their careers so that the public might be informed.

Turning his muckraking talents to journalism itself, Upton Sinclair exposes a variety of the news media's ingrained biases and its agenda-serving corruption. Upton Sinclair became famous for exposing filthy and inhumane conditions in the American meat packing industry at the turn of the 20th century. Following these revelations, new laws were made protecting factory workers and their conditions. Sinclair afterwards became a figure for condemnation - his personal life was scrutinized and subjected to spurious gossip and rumor, the cause being that the vast majority of newspaper corporations opposed his pro-worker, pro-regulation views. The title of this book alludes to a common practice in brothels: those frequenting these establishments would buy 'brass checks' to hand to the woman of their choice. Sinclair draws a parallel between such customers and the proprietors of the media, who delegate the promotion of their political, financial and social agendas to journalists willing to propagate such ideas.

"Today, threats to independent journalism no longer come only from direct forms of state control. Where advocates of a vibrant public sphere once mobilized against the suppression and censorship of news, they now must also contend with the more complex challenge of media capture, the topic of a new book published by the Center for International Media Assistance and Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. In this volume of essays edited by Anya Schiffrin, media capture is shown to be a growing phenomenon linked both to the resurgence of authoritarian governments as well as to the structural weaknesses presently afflicting media markets. In this environment, political figures and economic elites are colluding to undermine the independence of privately-owned media, and efforts to stop this collusion by activists, regulators, and the international community have proven to be ineffective. CIMA is proud to present this collection and hopes it will inspire further research and thoughtful responses to this growing threat to democracies around the world." --back page.

"Investigative Journalism means the unveiling of matters that are concealed either deliberately by someone in a position of power, or accidentally, behind a chaotic mass of facts and circumstances - and the analysis and exposure of all relevant facts to the public. In this way investigative journalism crucially contributes to freedom of expression and freedom of information, which are at the heart of UNESCO's mandate. The role media can play as a watchdog is indispensable for democracy and it is for this reason that UNESCO fully supports initiatives to strengthen investigative journalism throughout the world. I believe this publication makes a significant contribution to promoting investigative journalism and I hope it will be a valuable resource for journalists and media professionals, as well as for journalism trainers and educators." -- Jānis Kārklinš, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, UNESCO, Preface, page 1.

Turning his muckraking talents to journalism itself, Upton Sinclair exposes a variety of the news media's ingrained biases and its agenda-serving corruption. Upton Sinclair became famous for exposing filthy and inhumane conditions in the American meat packing industry at the turn of the 20th century. Following these revelations, new laws were made protecting factory workers and their conditions. Sinclair afterwards became a figure for condemnation ? his personal life was scrutinized and subjected to spurious gossip and rumor, the cause being that the vast majority of newspaper corporations opposed his pro-worker, pro-regulation views. The title of this book alludes to a common practice in brothels: those frequenting these establishments would buy ?brass checks? to hand to the woman of their choice. Sinclair draws a parallel between such customers and the proprietors of the media, who delegate the promotion of their political, financial and social agendas to journalists willing to propagate such ideas.