Convergence of media systems

Online Readings 8

•Three models of media and politics

- Daniel Hallin & Paolo Mancini

- Basic premise: “the press always takes on the form and coloration of the social and political structures within which it operates.”

- Framed against the context of earlier attempts to classify media system (e.g., four theories of the press by Siebert et al., 1956: theories of authoritarian, libertarian, social responsibility, & Soviet totalitarian media)

- Authoritarian theory: 16-17th century model in England; advocate government policies; public or private ownership

- Libertarian theory: 17-18th century model in US & England; inform & entertain the public, and discover truth and check on government; mainly private ownership

- Social responsibility theory: 20th century in US; inform & entertain the public, but raise conflicts to for public debate

- Soviet totalitarian theory: developed in the Soviet Union; contributes to the continuation of the Soviet system; public ownership

•Three models of media and politics

- Classifying media systems based on in-depth comparative analysis of North America and Western European countries (N=18)

‣ Focusing on historical origins and developments of media systems

•Three models of media and politics

- A) Polarized pluralist model

- B) Democratic corporatist model

- C) Liberal model

• Three models of media and politics

- Five key dimensions that characterize (and influence) national media systems

‣ a) The degree and shape of development of media markets

‣ b) Political parallelism - the degree/nature of links between political parties and the press

‣ c) The degree of development of journalistic professionalism - relative autonomy, distinctive norms

‣ d) The degree/nature of state intervention in the media system

‣ e) The nature of political culture/structure

• A) Polarized pluralist model (Mediterranean)

- Relates to Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, and France

- a) Late and incomplete development of the press; low newspaper circulation; elite politically oriented press

- b) Strong political parallelism

- c) Weak professionalization

- d) Strong state intervention

- e) Polarized pluralism; strong political parties

•C) Liberal model (North Atlantic or Anglo-Amerian)

- Relates to USA, Britain, Canada, Ireland

- a) Early development of press freedom and industry; medium circulation; commercial newspapers

- b) Low political parallelism

- c) Strong professionalization

- d) Weak state intervention; market dominated (except strong public broadcasting in Britain and Ireland)

- e) Moderate pluralism; majoritarian culture

• B) Democratic corporatist model (North/central European)

- Relates to Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland

- a) Early development of press freedom and industry; high circulation; party newspapers

- b) Historically high political parallelism but it is diminishing

- c) Strong professionalization

- d) Strong state intervention but with protection for press freedom; strong public broadcasting

- e) Moderate pluralism; consensual culture

• Differentiation theory of media

- Based primarily on political parallelism and professionalism: high in differentiation when parallelism is weak and professionalism is strong

- The Liberal Model is characterized by a high degree of differentiation.

- The trend toward convergence in media systems

- Critiques from Critical Theory (e.g., Habermas): Media field has become more distant from the field of politics but closer to the increasingly dominant field of economics.