1st Edition

The European Handbook of Media Accountability

    358 Pages 4 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    358 Pages 4 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    In recent years, the Leveson Inquiry in Great Britain, as well as the EU High-Level Group on Media Freedom and Pluralism, have stirred heated debates about media accountability and media self-regulation across Europe. How responsible are journalists? How well-developed are infrastructures of media self-regulation in the different European countries? How much commitment to media accountability is there in the media industry – and how actively do media users become involved in the process of media criticism via social media?

    With contributions from leading scholars in the field of journalism and mass communication, this handbook brings together reports on the status quo of media accountability in all EU members states as well as key countries close to Europe, such as Turkey and Israel. Each chapter provides an up-to-date overview of media accountability structures as well as a synopsis of relevant research, exploring the role of media accountability instruments in each national setting, including both media self-regulation (such as codes of ethics, press councils, ombudspersons) and new instruments that involve audiences and stakeholder groups (such as media blogs and user comment systems).

    A theoretically informed, cross-national comparative analysis of the state of media accountability in contemporary Europe, this handbook constitutes an invaluable basis for further research and policy-making and will appeal to students and scholars of media studies and journalism, as well as policy-makers and practitioners.

    List of Contributors

    List of Figures and Tables

    Chapter 1. Introduction

    Tobias Eberwein, Susanne Fengler & Matthias Karmasin

    Chapter 2. Austria: Back on the Democratic Corporatist Road?

    Matthias Karmasin, Klaus Bichler & Andy Kaltenbrunner

    Chapter 3. Belgium: Divided Along Language Lines

    Karin Raeymaeckers & François Heinderyckx

    Chapter 4. Bulgaria: Regaining Media Freedom

    Bissera Zankova & Michał Głowacki

    Chapter 5. Croatia: Unfulfilled Expectations

    Stjepan Malović

    Chapter 6. Cyprus: Behind Closed (Journalistic) Doors

    Dimitra L. Milioni, Lia-Paschalia Spyridou & Michalis Koumis

    Chapter 7. Czech Republic: The Market Governs

    Tomáš Trampota

    Chapter 8. Denmark: Voluntary Accountability Driven by Political Pressure

    Mark Blach-Ørsten, Jannie Møller Hartley & Sofie Flensburg

    Chapter 9. Estonia: Conflicting Views on Accountability Practices

    Urmas Loit, Epp Lauk & Halliki Harro-Loit

    Chapter 10. Finland: The Empire Renewing Itself

    Jari Väliverronen & Heikki Heikkilä

    Chapter 11. France: Media Accountability as an Abstract Idea?

    Olivier Baisnée, Ludivine Balland & Sandra Vera Zambrano

    Chapter 12. Germany: Disregarded Diversity

    Tobias Eberwein, Susanne Fengler, Mariella Bastian & Janis Brinkmann

    Chapter 13. Greece: Between Systemic Inefficiencies and Nascent Opportunities Online

    Evangelia Psychogiopoulou & Anna Kandyla

    Chapter 14. Hungary: Difficult Legacy, Slow Transformation

    Agnes Urban

    Chapter 15. Ireland: Moving from Courts to Institutions of Accountability

    Roderick Flynn

    Chapter 16. Israel: Media in Political Handcuffs

    Noam Lemelshtrich Latar

    Chapter 17. Italy: Transparency as an Inspiration

    Sergio Splendore

    Chapter 18. Latvia: Different Journalistic Cultures and Different Accountability Within One Media System

    Ainars Dimants

    Chapter 19. Lithuania: The Ideology of Liberalism and Its Flaws in the Democratic Performance of the Media

    Kristina Juraitė, Auksė Balčytienė & Audronė Nugaraitė

    Chapter 20. Luxembourg: Low Priority in a Confined Milieu

    Mario Hirsch

    Chapter 21. Malta: Media Accountability as a Two-legged ‘Tripod’

    Joseph Borg & Mary Anne Lauri

    Chapter 22. The Netherlands: From Awareness to Realization

    Harmen Groenhart & Huub Evers

    Chapter 23. Norway: Journalistic Power Limits Media Accountability

    Paul Bjerke

    Chapter 24. Poland: Accountability in the Making

    Bogusława Dobek-Ostrowska, Michał Głowacki & Michał Kuś

    Chapter 25. Portugal: Many Structures, Little Accountability

    Nuno Moutinho, Helena Lima, Suzana Cavaco & Ana Isabel Reis

    Chapter 26. Romania: Unexpected Pressures for Accountability

    Mihai Coman, Daniela-Aurelia Popa & Raluca-Nicoleta Radu

    Chapter 27. Russia: Media Accountability to the Public or the State?

    Elena Vartanova & Maria Lukina

    Chapter 28. Slovakia: Conditional Success of Ethical Regulation via Online Instruments

    Andrej Školkay

    Chapter 29. Slovenia: The Paper Tiger of Media Accountability

    Igor Vobič, Aleksander Sašo Slaček Brlek & Boris Mance

    Chapter 30. Spain: New Formats and Old Crises

    Salvador Alsius, Ruth Rodriguez-Martinez & Marcel Mauri de los Rios

    Chapter 31. Sweden: A Long History of Media Accountability Adaption

    Torbjörn von Krogh

    Chapter 32. Switzerland: Role Model with Glitches

    Colin Porlezza

    Chapter 33. Turkey: Sacrificing Credibility for Economic Expediency and Partisanship

    Ceren Sözeri

    Chapter 34. United Kingdom: Post-Leveson, Media Accountability is All Over the Place

    Mike Jempson, Wayne Powell & Sally Reardon

    Chapter 35. Summary: Measuring Media Accountability in Europe – and Beyond

    Tobias Eberwein, Susanne Fengler, Katja Kaufmann, Janis Brinkmann & Matthias Karmasin

    References

    Index

    Biography

    Tobias Eberwein is Senior Scientist at the Institute for Comparative Media and Communication Studies of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, and the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt, Austria.

    Susanne Fengler is Professor of International Journalism and Director of the Erich Brost Institute for International Journalism at TU Dortmund University, Germany.

    Matthias Karmasin is Professor at the Department of Media and Communications, Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt, and Director of the Institute for Comparative Media and Communication Studies at the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt, Austria.