The democratic value of news : why public service media matter /

In information-rich democracies there remains widespread concern about the "quality" of news and how it can be evaluated to deliver informed citizenship. This book compares the democratic value of news produced by public and market-driven media, asking whether citizens should continue to subsidize public service media in an already crowded commercial landscape of news.Carrying out a comprehensive meta-analysis of internationally informed empirical news studies and reviewing the impact news has on people's knowledge, civic participation and levels of trust towards competing media systems, this study finds that the democratic value of news is more likely to be enhanced when it is produced by public rather than market-driven media. For all the commercial choice and competition in contemporary news culture, it is argued that public service media not only remain distinctive from market-driven media they contribute to raising the editorial standards of journalism more widely.Includes bibliographical references (p. 210-234) and index.Introduction -- The philosophy and economics of different broadcast models: how do funding models and regulatory frameworks shape the democratic value of news? -- Journalism cultures and public service ethics: evaluating the democratic value of news -- Reflecting a "window on the world"? Reporting local, national and international news -- Making sense of elections: the journalistic conventions and practices of campaign reporting -- Between patriotism and independence: the politics of reporting wars and conflicts -- Adapting to the 24/7 environment of journalism: the evolution and development of rolling news channels -- Protecting the democratic value of news: why public service media matter.In information-rich democracies there remains widespread concern about the "quality" of news and how it can be evaluated to deliver informed citizenship. This book compares the democratic value of news produced by public and market-driven media, asking whether citizens should continue to subsidize public service media in an already crowded commercial landscape of news.Carrying out a comprehensive meta-analysis of internationally informed empirical news studies and reviewing the impact news has on people's knowledge, civic participation and levels of trust towards competing media systems, this study finds that the democratic value of news is more likely to be enhanced when it is produced by public rather than market-driven media. For all the commercial choice and competition in contemporary news culture, it is argued that public service media not only remain distinctive from market-driven media they contribute to raising the editorial standards of journalism more widely