Broadcasters and Citizens in Europe

Uwe Hasebrink, Paolo Baldi

Description

European media is experiencing a paradoxical form of growth: as media outlets surge and new technologies develop, major broadcasting companies are consolidating like never before. In Broadcasters and Citizens in Europe, an esteemed group of contributors look at what this paradox might mean for the European community. Are broadcasting audiences better informed than they were twenty years ago? And how has the advent of the European Union changed media practices? This essential volume explores a new media world in the context of a continent in flux.

“The book is a good source of information about institutional arrangements developed in European countries in the field of audio-visual policy. It gives an interesting and well-written account of how particular European countries and the European Union try to deal with different problems deriving from the ethical dilemma inscribed in the construction of media systems.”—Magdalena Rek, Journal of Contemporary European Studies

 

“Communication scholars will benefit from the focus on research from across Europe along with the theoretical implications. For media policy-makers and members of civic organisations, the taxonomy of instruments will provide an overview for possible policy development. Finally, the clarity with which this book is written will help college students understand the field of media and social responsibility.”— Jarim Kim, Media International Australia

 

 

Sujets

• Digital Media
• Political Ideologies
• Political Science
• General officer
• Cultural studies
• Media studies
• Central
• General
• Democracy
• Internet

Informations

• Publié par: Intellect Books
• Date de parution: 02 janvier 2007
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781841509631
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 7 Mo

Extrait

Broadcasters and Citizens in Europe Trends in Media Accountability and Viewer Participation

Broadcasting is arguably the most influential and powerful industry operating today. The media impose an inescapable presence in contemporary life and infuse all areas of public communication. But what is the quality of the relationship between ‘broadcaster’ and ‘citizen’? Do the media and media authorities take the audience’s interests seriously into account? Do audiences have real opportunities to express themselves? Are citizens well informed and educated about the social, the cultural and the civic role that media can play?

This book presents the main results of an extensive programme of research that was financed by the European Commission. The study was conducted in 29 European countries and each author analyses European trends from different but complementary perspectives: from the broadcasters side (media accountability and responsibility, including the key role of Public Service Broadcasting); from the citizens’ side (viewers’ participation mechanisms) and from the regulatory side (legal instruments which protect viewer rights). Given the historical experience of the United Kingdom, the situation in this country is analysed in detail. A specific chapter also describes the instruments and procedures that TV viewers have at the European Union level in addition to those existing at national level.

intellectPO Box 862 Bristol BS99 1DE UK / www.intellectbooks.com

Paolo Baldiis a Media Consultant established in Geneva (Switzerland). Formerly Head of Research (Strategic Information Service) at the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), he has also been Director of ACAMEDIA and lecturer at the Universities of Fribourg, Geneva and Florence.

Uwe Hasebrinkis Director of the Hans Bredow Institute for Media Research and Professor for Empirical Communication Research at the University of Hamburg. His research interests are related to media audiences and European public spheres.

ISBN 978-1-84150-160-4

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Baldi / Hasebrink Broadcasters and Citizens in Europe Broadcasters and Citizens in Europe: Trends in Media Accountability and Trends in Media Accountability and Viewer Participation Viewer Participation

Edited by Paolo Baldi and Uwe Hasebrink

Broadcasters and Citizens in Europe Trends in Media Accountability and Viewer Participation

Edited by Paolo Baldi and Uwe Hasebrink

Broadcasters and Citizens in Europe Trends in Media Accountability and Viewer Participation

Edited by Paolo Baldi and Uwe Hasebrink

First Published in the UK in 2007 by Intellect Books, PO Box 862, Bristol BS99 1DE, UK

First published in the USA in 2007 by Intellect Books, The University of Chicago Press, 1427 E. 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA

Copyright © 2007 Intellect Ltd

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Cover Design: Gabriel Solomons Copy Editor: Holly Spradling Typesetting: Mac Style, Nafferton, E. Yorkshire

ISBN 9781841501604 / Electronic ISBN 978-1-84150-963-1

Printed and bound in Great Britain by Henry Ling.

C ONTENTS

Introduction: overview of a European study Paolo Baldi and Uwe Hasebrink

Media accountability in Europe: a fragmented picture Paolo Baldi

1. Media accountability is entering into the political agenda 2. Europe: a highly fragmented picture 2.1. Most-advanced countries 2.2. Less-advanced countries 2.3. The “under construction” countries 3. Concluding remarks

UK broadcasting policy: the “long wave” shift in conceptions of accountability Richard Collins and Zoe Sujon

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Introduction 33 1. Accountability: exit, voice and loyalty34 2. Accountability: proposals for change at the BBC37 3. UK broadcasting policy: the “long wave” shift in the dominant framework 38 4. Conceptions of the citizen and the consumer in broadcasting policy39 4.1. Citizens’ “legitimate expectations” 41 4.2. Social capital and new thoughts on citizenship42 4.3. Potter, consumer theory and evaluation of the accountability of UK broadcasters44 5. The 2003 Communications Act: a new consumer and citizen consciousness46 6. Conclusion49

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The protection of viewer rights in Europe Bernd Holznagel and Christiane Jungfleisch

Introduction53 1. Basic general principles 1.1. Media law 1.2. Media authorities 2. Main instruments and obligations 2.1. Legal instruments for the viewers 2.2. Legal obligations for the broadcasters 3. Three types of countries 3.1. Homogeneous countries 3.2. Inhomogeneous countries 3.3. Countries in progress 4. Conclusion

Media users’ participation in Europe from a civil society perspective Uwe Hasebrink, Anja Herzog & Christiane Eilders

Introduction 1. Viewers – not just consumers 2. Viewers – civil society actors? 3. Options provided for viewer participation in Europe 3.1. Representation in controlling bodies 3.2. Communication platforms 3.3. Complaints procedures 3.4. Audience research 4. Viewer associations 4.1. Main objectives 4.2. Types of activities 5. Conclusions 5.1. Viewer participation across Europe 5.2. Viewer participation as civil society activity 5.3. Viewer participation on the European level

Viewers’ rights in the European Union: policies and instruments Paolo Celot and Fausto Gualtieri

Introduction 1. Access to the institutions: instruments and procedures 1.1. European Parliament, Committee on Petitions 1.2. European Commission: complaints concerning failure to comply with community law

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1.3. Actions brought to the Court of Justice of the European Communities (ECJ)96 1.4. The European Ombudsman 1.5. European Court of Human Rights 1.6. Internal Market law problem-solving network (Solvit) 1.7. The European Consumer Centres and request for intervention to the European Extra-Judicial Network (EEJ-Net) 2. General principles on consumer protection 2.1. European Union 2.2. Council of Europe 3. Relevant EU policies and advisory bodies 3.1. EU Consumer Affairs policy 3.2. Audio-visual policy 4. Conclusions

Abbreviations and Acronyms References About the authors

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I NTRODUCTION : OVERVIEW OF A E UROPEAN STUDY

Paolo Baldi and Uwe Hasebrink

New technologies are certainly changing the way we communicate and the way we will have access to information or entertainment: and this is especially true for two of them, the Internet and the mobile phone. Nevertheless, television is still playing a central role in our lives as we are still spending an important part of our time – something between three and four hours a day depending on the countries – watching what few and increasingly concentrated media corporations produce and disseminate via the classic platforms (cable, satellite and terrestrial) but also the new ones (computers, mobiles, digital devices, etc.). As a matter of fact, the broadcasting output – in all its variety of genres (news, sports, movies, cartoons, events, etc.) – is still the “golden content ” that all the platform operators in all the countries are fighting for.In short, television programming is and will be – regardless the platform that we will use or the “screen ” we will watch – the primary source of information that people have at their disposal for shaping their opinions and for participating, therefore, to the democratic process.

If in addition we look at the news coming from the United States, where newspapers are selling, year after year, fewer and fewer copies – all type of newspapers, both popular and elitist newspapers – the pivotal role of the broadcasting output in the overall media landscape is probably likely to grow and not certainly to diminish. This is the reason why so many scholars and politicians in so many countries have insisted – and are still insisting as we will see later in this book – on the special status of broadcasting not only in serving democracy but in “facilitating” the democratic process itself.In this perspective, broadcasting cannot be considered simply as “a” branch of our industry or just “a ” sector of our society (like public health or education): broadcasting is an integral part of the very concept of “modern citizenship”. Beyond enforceable rights, citizens have also developed “legitimate