Normative Encounters in European Media Policy, Vol. 23 - 2016, No. 2
Guest Edited by Hannu Nieminen
What We Talk About When Talk About “Media Independence”
Media independence is a contested concept that carries different meanings in different contexts. As a normative ideal, independence can be discussed on many levels, and media organisations, journalists, researchers and regulators often invoke the term in contradictory ways. In contemporary European media policy, the conceptual contestation over the meaning of independence has been further reheated by commercial media’s attempts to reframe the distinction between commercial and public service media as a choice between “independent” and “state” media. The digital transformations and the emergence of new media actors and platforms also challenge the meaning and relevance of different conceptions of media independence and dependence. In this article, we discuss the changing uses of the notion of independence in current media policy discourse, including controversies between public service and commercial media, but also other settings where the notion is invoked. We then develop a more fine-tuned understanding of the different dimensions that media independence contains in a contemporary media environment. Finally, we discuss how the relational nature of independence makes it problematic to employ as a normative principle in media policy.
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Media Policy Norms for a Europe in Crisis
Europe is in crisis. Millions of its citizens are living in poverty and subject to sustained programmes of austerity that are widening the gap between rich and poor. Communicative possibilities are squeezed by the realities of media market behaviour: public service broadcasters are facing challenges of legitimacy and funding while established news outlets are increasingly distrusted by audiences. Despite the scale of the crisis, however, there appears to be little appetite amongst media researchers to develop a professional or policy response that rises to the challenge and attempts to offer necessary solutions. This article reflects on existing policy norms and suggests that we need fresh ones that better articulate how best to respond to neoliberalisation and both communicative and economic crisis. Rhetorical commitments to democracy, free speech, privacy and transparency are being squeezed by a more pragmatic emphasis on efficiency and competition, leaving little room for more expansive ambitions of social justice and equality. By focusing on several case studies, the article argues that we need more radical policy frames to confront the serious attacks we are facing on the public media and the public interest more generally.
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Isolated and Particularised: The State of Contemporary Media and Communications Policy Research
The contemporary state of media and communications policy studies is disparate and incohesive because of the varying research backgrounds of its scholars, imprecise use of terms and lack of linkages to broader policy research. This article argues that there is a need for more consideration of the mechanisms and tools and of the institutional processes and practices of policy-making. The article argues that policy-making needs to be seen as a public sphere in which debate and compromise takes place, rather than an arena from which only one contestant can emerge—an approach that reduces the possibilities for reasoned debate, conciliation and cooperation. The article argues that the lack of this approach leads to normative intransigence, policy drift and protectionism that actually reduce the ability to pursue democratic and culture values in media and communications policy-making.
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Leading by Example? European Union Implementation of Cultural Diversity in Internal and External Audiovisual Policies
This article aims to assess how the European Union (EU) deals with cultural diversity in the audiovisual sector in both its policy discourse and practice. The underlying question guiding the analysis is whether the EU commits to implementing policies to enhance cultural diversity. A first part gives an overview of the concept’s development in time and in response to a specific political and economic context. The second part addresses implementation of the concept in the EU’s internal market project and its external trade relations by means of an analysis of four distinct policy areas: the evolution of the main underlying regulatory framework; European support programmes for the audiovisual sector; competition policies targeting the sector; and dealing with the audiovisual sector in external trade relations. On the basis of this analysis, we aim to evaluate in a final concluding part the coherence of the overall EU approach and the prospects and pitfalls for increased cultural diversity in the audiovisual sector in Europe. We argue that the strong focus of the EU on cultural diversity in its discourse has led to some steps of policy implementation which generates a fledgling positive, albeit fragile and imperfect, dynamic for cultural diversity.
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The Shifting Role of Value-Added Tax (VAT) as a Media Policy Tool: A Three-Country Comparison of Political Justifications
Media policy schemes around the world are seemingly shifting character. As budgets for direct subsidies are under increasing pressure, the role of indirect tools, such as tax reductions, are growing in relative importance. This article explores the political justifications of value-added tax (VAT) as a media policy tool, and how longitudinal shifts indicate broader changes in the media systems. Based on a document analysis of newspaper VAT development in three countries with similar historical policy models—Finland, Sweden and Norway—the article identifies and describes the dynamics between four major policy positions; transparency, pluralism, harmonisation and financial austerity.
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Policy Implications From Algorithmic Profiling and the Changing Relationship Between Newsreaders and the Media
The news media are experimenting with new ways of engaging with the audience, and the use of algorithmic profiling and targeting is an important element of this strategy. The personalised newspaper is no longer only a vision from science fiction novels but is becoming a reality. The resulting shift from public information intermediary to personal information service creates new dynamics but also new imbalances in the relationship between the media and their users. The objective of this article is to explore how exactly this shift affects the relationship between the news media and news users, and what the implications are for media law and policy. More specifically, the article will argue that there is a need to conceptualise what this author calls “ fair media practices”; that is, values and principles that should guide the relationship between the media and users, and the way media content is presented and marketed to users with the help of algorithms.
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Copyright-Proof Network-Based Video Recording Services? An Analysis of the Finnish Solution
The news media are experimenting with new ways of engaging with the audience, and the use of algorithmic profiling and targeting is an important element of this strategy. The personalised newspaper is no longer only a vision from science fiction novels but is becoming a reality. The resulting shift from public information intermediary to personal information service creates new dynamics but also new imbalances in the relationship between the media and their users. The objective of this article is to explore how exactly this shift affects the relationship between the news media and news users, and what the implications are for media law and policy. More specifically, the article will argue that there is a need to conceptualise what this author calls “ fair media practices”; that is, values and principles that should guide the relationship between the media and users, and the way media content is presented and marketed to users with the help of algorithms.
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