 |
GLOBAL VS LOCAL/
NEWSPAPERS
source: cyberlaw.stanford.edu/blogs/
cooper/archives/mediabooke.pdf
www.krysstal.com/democracy
_media.html
subsol.c3.hu/subsol_2/
contributors3/efjtext.html
|
|
The history of the press sector certainly does not suggest that technological potential for diverse media has been realised by ‘free’ markets… - technical innovations have lowered costs of newspaper production, yet the 20th century has witnessed a marked decline in the political pluralism of the press and, in many respects, an increased product homogenisation; the proliferation of specialist publications are the exception that proves the rule;
- institutional diversity reflects the special expertise and culture of certain media, such as the newspaper tradition of in-depth investigative journalism. Institutional diversity is grounded in the watchdog function;
- as the population becomes increasingly complex, the role of differences in information needs to grow. Diversity promotes democracy by exposing citizens to a broader range of views. Recognising viewpoint diversity, particularly local viewpoints, is a goal of public policy that is distinct from ownership diversity. The difference between source and viewpoint diversity is the difference between production and distribution;
- putting circulation quality over circulation quantity is the other major tactic the corporate papers use to cut cost and boost profits. This means that newspapers determine the value of a region with respect to its attractiveness to advertisers. These ones put pressure on the papers to get their ads to the ‘right’ people for the smallest price. The result of this is that the lowest circulation penetration is found in areas with high concentrations of both low income and minority populations.
Stories that help the interests of the media owners are given prominence… - when the media depends on advertising, the advertisers can exert pressure. A large media conglomerate may be able to absorb the loss of advertisers but a smaller, alternative newspaper or radio station may be pushed out of business. Advertisers frequently use their influence to stop stories detrimental to their interests;
- the pressures on commercial mass media to produce high volumes of ‘happy’ or sensationalised news with the fewest number of reporters to support the interests of advertisers or to attract viewers is well documented. In 1998, in the United States “only 513 reporters” were covering all state governments full-time. Breach of Faith points out that, disturbingly, over 3000 media credentials were issued for that year’s Super Bowl; (1)
- in a 1992 survey in the United Kingdom, 150 newspaper editors stated that 90% of their advertisers had interfered with stories; 70% of the advertisers had tried to stop stories. 40% of the editors had succumbed to pressure from advertisers and made the changes requested;
- in the United States, a more recent editor survey cited by Taking Stock found that 90% of editors interviewed affirmed that they felt pressure from the bottom line, many adding that they felt ‘resignation’ and ‘resentment’ because of this pressure. (1)
… and the so called ‘independent press’: is it still there? - In the United States, chains own 80% of newspapers and the content-sharing has become one of US biggest hurdles. Newspaper markets are even more highly concentrated than TV markets. By voice count alone, almost 40% are monopolies, another 40% are duopolies; (1)
- in the twenty-five years since the adoption of the rule restricting cross-ownership of newspapers and broadcast, daily newspaper operations have declined. The number of dailies has declined by about 19%. Their circulation has declined by about 10%. The number of owners has declined by 2/3 (from 860 to 290). According to Mark Cooper, combining the newspaper and television ownership numbers (as the dominant form of news disseminating media), the number of independent voices has been cut by more than half since the mid-1970s;
- European press markets have seen a steady diminution of independent titles, the concentration of ownership of newspapers and magazines, and the predominance of local newspaper monopolies and national oligopolies.
In several countries, the old state monopoly of the media, particularly the press, has been replaced by commercial monopolies. The case of Eastern Europe…- Axel Springer Verlag claims to be the largest newspaper publishing company in Europe. Bild is the best selling national daily in Europe, with sales of around 4.5 million. In 2003, there were reports that the company intended to launch a Polish edition of Bild in about 12 months time. Apart from Hungary, where Springer publishes 8 daily regional papers and 1 Sunday title, its main focus in UE countries is magazine publishing. It publishes 16 magazines in Hungary, 14 in Poland and 8 in Romania but it is active in other UE countries as well;
- Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (WAZ): the German media giant has a European empire of more than 130 newspapers. It is the second largest German newspaper publisher, after Axel Springer. WAZ sits in a dominant position in Bulgaria, in Croatia WAZ has a 50% stake in Europa Press Holdings (EPH) and publishes two dailies, and 11 magazines. WAZ also publishes five dailies in Hungary and has a stake in two Romanian newspapers. Recently WAZ, already co-owner of the Belgrade daily, Politika, acquired the Podgorica daily, Vijesti , and there are reports that it wants to acquire another Serbian paper, the Novi Sad daily, Dnevnik.
|
