The media landscape has evolved rapidly with the emergence of the Internet. The way people share and consume information has changed drastically, even if the media in the English-speaking world is standing strong. What are today’s stakes?
IGlobal media
The media commonly refers to the various means of communication providing the public opinion with facts and knowledge.
1 Public media
In the US, the public service consists of PBS for television and NPR for the radio. In the UK, the BBC is the major public media service.
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Public Broadcasting Service is a non-profit organisation that airs programmes on TV. It compiles more than 350 local stations. PBS is often praised for the overall variety and quality of its programming.
The system of public media services – both in the UK and in the US – is based on a strong principle of political neutrality. This is particularly true in the US where “objectivity norms” is a core value.
Public media is supposed to offer more in-depth, ideologically diverse and critical news about domestic and international affairs. It also contributes to creating a trustworthy environment where citizens feel confident and engaged in their political and democratic institutions.
2 Private media
The English-speaking world is also famous for their combination of broadsheets and tabloids. Broadsheets are considered quality journalism unlike tabloids.
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The names “broadsheet” and “tabloid” come from the format: a broadsheet is a newspaper printed on large sheets of paper; a tabloid is printed on smaller sheets of paper.
The economic, technological and political changes have modified the media landscape by creating big conglomerates such as Google, Facebook or Australian Rupert Murdoch’s news empire.
IIThe advent of the Internet
1 Hybrid forms of information
The recent evolution has had major financial consequences such as the drastic downsizing of reporters. Readership and the circulation of the printed press has declined steadily in favour of online news.
Indeed, online only newspapers (HuffPost, Slate…) have appeared and Google and Facebook – which are not “media companies” – contribute to the flow of information.
Participatory journalism has developed in recent years. It consists of ordinary citizens participating in the process of collecting and sharing first-hand information. Citizens share videos on YouTube or other private channels or blogs. These non-professional journalists blur the definition of journalism itself.
2 Information-filtering system
As e-commerce and digital advertising are developing along with social media and online services, recommendation systems have become unavoidable.
This can be seen as a tool to help users not to be overwhelmed by the flow of information, to target information relevant to you. Users are then exposed to a small amount of information and can navigate it with more care.
However, users are also subjected to a narrower amount and an already oriented and biased information. These algorithms may then feed the growing divide within the nation and trigger more violence and conflicts.
Zoom
Rupert Murdoch’s empire
Rupert Murdoch is an Australian-born American media tycoon. His vast $22bn network includes tabloids and quality journalism, TV programmes, movie production, edition, etc.
His connection in Australian, British, American media can be seen as a threat to democracy as his media outlet can broadcast his personal views at the international level.
➞ Find out more about Rupert Murdoch: bit.ly/PbacAMC1re_4b
