Media Freedom And Pluralism

Addresses a critical analysis of major media policies in the European Union and Council of Europe at the period of profound changes affecting both media environments and use, as well as the logic of media policy-making and reconfiguration of traditional regulatory models. The analytical problem-related approach seems to better reflect a media policy process as an interrelated part of European integration, formation of European citizenship, and exercise of communication rights within the European communicative space. The question of normative expectations is to be compared in this case with media policy rationales, mechanisms of implementation (transposing rules from EU to national levels), and outcomes.

Abstract: This report presents the phenomena of media freedom and pluralism and the major academic and policy debates about their social, political, economic role and implications. It highlights the importance of media freedom and pluralism for the functioning, sustainability and legitimacy of a democratic regime, and therefore the necessity for relevant policy actions. The text also provides a state of the art perspective on the measuring and evaluating of media pluralism. It analyses major aspects of media economics and ownership, including the tendency to media concentration, the potential relationship between pluralism and the increased number of sources of supply, the impact of emerging "Internet native" media players, and globalisation. The legal core of the report examines the development of the debate on legal instruments and jurisprudence, as well as those EU legal instruments that are currently available to tackle the areas of media pluralism and media freedom. Following on from the few EU instruments that are presently in place, and the general legal uncertainty present in this field, the report aims to suggest how the legislation in force could be used or modified in order to foster media freedom and pluralism in a more efficient way.

The European media landscape is changing profoundly. In this wide-ranging and timely text, members of the Euromedia Research Group examine the ways in which national and supranational policy is reacting to these changes. The contributors consider: the consequences for broadcasting systems of satellite and cable delivery; the fate of public broadcasting under deregulation; the changes currently affecting print media and newspapers; the impact of media changes for political and social cultural life; and the significance of the Internet, the first true fruit of the telematic revolution in communication. The main themes of media policy analysis today are convergence, concentration and commercialization, and abundance through digitalization. Although media policy has changed drastically in its concerns and forms, the authors here argue that the need for an effective public communication policy in our `information society′ is as pressing now as it ever was.

This cutting-edge Research Handbook presents a comprehensive overview of the European Union’s influence on the regulation of the media sector in the digital age. It explores and compares several areas of European legislation that have an impact on the media sector, defined in a broad sense for its capacity to influence the public opinion at large.

Adopting a truly global, theoretical and multidisciplinary perspective, Media Pluralism and Diversity intends to advance our understanding of media pluralism across the globe. It compares metrics that have been developed in different parts of the world to assess levels of, or threats to, media pluralism.

Contends that the notions of media pluralism and diversity have been reduced to empty catchphrases or conflated with consumer choice and market competition.

In the face of such challenges, this new volume in the World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development series offers a critical analysis of new trends in media freedom, pluralism, independence and the safety of journalists.

Adopting a truly global, theoretical and multidisciplinary perspective, Media Pluralism and Diversity intends to advance our understanding of media pluralism across the globe. It compares metrics that have been developed in different parts of the world to assess levels of, or threats to, media pluralism.