Self-regulation of the media: the institutional model and the Lithuanian status quo

The article reviews models of media self-regulation that are being implemented in other countries; it discusses the nature and functions of selfregulation institutions, as well as their structure, funding and sanctions. The article also provides an analysis of the self-regulation models that are used in Lithuania. From 1996 to 2014, self-regulation of the media was overseen in Lithuania by the Ethics Commission of Journalists and Publishers, the activities of which were based on the Code of Ethics of Journalists and Publishers. According to the models of media self-regulation identified in the article, the Lithuanian system could be assigned to the second group of self-regulation institutions, i.e. voluntary ones which possess legal power. The Ethics Commission of Journalists and Publishers was established as a selfregulation authority under the Law on Provision of Information to the Public. The law also provided funding for the commission through the Fund for the Support of the Press, Radio and Television, which is financed from the state budget. However, amendments to the Law on Provision of Information to the Public were adopted on 25 November 2014 which fundamentally changed the principles of the institutionalisation, structure and funding of media selfregulation. The article introduces the principles by which the new media self-regulation institution – the Ethics Commission on Information to the Public – was established. It includes a description of the institution’s functions as well as an overview of its organization of work, funding and decision-making procedures. The results of a survey of journalists working in national and regional media outlets are presented in a separate section of the article. The goal of the survey was to ascertain how members of the Lithuanian Union of Journalists (N=60) who are currently working in journalism perceive and assess self-regulation of the media in Lithuania. The theoretical and methodological framework of the article includes logical, comparative and complex source analysis, sociological and systematic research methods, content analysis, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, and descriptive statistics