Description
Book SynopsisThe book arises from an international research project that explores the future of media pluralism policies for online news. It investigates the latest European policies and techniques for regulatory intervention, and examines the consequences of innovative news practices asking, ‘How will automation of news affect public opinion in the age of social media platforms, and what are the consequences?’
In Media Pluralism and Online News the authors make the argument that there is an urgent need for revitalised thinking for a media policy agenda to deal with the trends to platform power and concentrated media power, which is an ongoing global risk to public interest journalism.
In the transition to a media landscape increasingly dominated by broadband internet distribution and the dominance of US-centric new media behemoths Google, Facebook, Apple, Amazon and Netflix the book investigates measures that can be taken to reduce this ongoing march of concentration and the attenuation of media voices.
Securing the public interest in a vibrant and sustainable news media sector will require that merger decisions assess whether there is a ‘reduction in diversity’ -- calling for a new public interest test and a more expansive policy focus than in the past. This would include consideration of the sustainability of local businesses; the encouragement of original and local news content; quality of content, in terms of the promotion of news standards; and new modes of delivery and consumption, including the ‘automated curation’ of news content by digital platforms.
Table of ContentsList of Figures and Table
Acknowledgements
1. Introduction – Tim Dwyer and Derek Wilding
2. The Contemporary Policy Context: Plurality, Diversity and Automated Curation – Derek Wilding and Tim Dwyer
3. New Directions in Media Pluralism and Diversity Interventions – Derek Wilding and Tim Dwyer
4. Problem Definitions in European Policy Debates on Media Pluralism and Online Platforms – Kari Karppinen
5. Automation, News and Social Media Pluralism – Jonathon Hutchinson, Tim Dwyer and Derek Wilding
6. Researching Online News Media Diversities in China and South Korea – Tim Dwyer and Jonathon Hutchinson
7. Investigative Journalism and Media Pluralism: Voices from the Global South – Saba Bebawi
8. Conclusion – Tim Dwyer and Derek Wilding
Notes on Contributors
Index
