The Jeremiad Over Journalism

Schröter, however, argues that despite the increased European deregulation of ―industrial plants,
railways, airlines, telecommunications, postal services, and a number of other utilities,‖ important
differences remain between the United States‘ organization of society and the European.
―The welfare-state principle of politics over economics still has considerable vitality in
Europe, but the third wave of Americanization has clearly removed many areas of European
life from the realm of social and political agreement and placed them under the mandate of the
market.‖ 272
While the Danish welfare state has served as a powerful counterforce to direct adaption of U.S. led
economic policy, there are also indicators that deregulation and capitalism has gained an important
foothold in the media industry as well as society at large. Most notably perhaps is the fact that the
Danish Broadcasting Service had their monopoly over television broken in 1988 and the Tele
Danmark-monopoly over telecommunications was disbanded in 1994 which led to a subsequent
purchase of the company by Anglo-American corporations. 273 This deregulation followed on the
heels of the American-inspired (and America-promoted) economic policies described by Schröter
and has also made itself felt within the transportation sector for example. Changing ownership
patterns in the media industry has also been apparent across Europe, where newspapers for example
increasingly have become publicly traded. 274
designed to bring national opinion leaders together to ―discuss problems or issues in transatlantic relationships‖ and one
idea which united the organizers was a belief in an ―open world trading system within a multilateral framework of
international organisation.‖ Danish editors like Terkel M. Terkelsen, Jørgen Schleimann and Tøger Seidenfaden have
taken part in the meetings over the years alongside powerful colleagues from the United States, Britain and other
western countries. See for instance, Rasmus Bang Petersen, "De Mægtiges Diskussionsklub [The Powerful's Debate
Society]," Information, July 25, 2007. Page 22-23.
272
Schröter, Americanization of the European Economy: A Compact Survey of American Economic Influence in Europe
since the 1880's. Page 210.
273
Klaus Bruhn Jensen, ed. Dansk Mediehistorie 1960-1995 [Danish Media History 1960-1995], 4 vols., vol. 3, Dansk
Mediehistorie (København: Forlaget Samfundslitteratur,2001). Page 170-175. Bjørn Lambek and Peder Bjerge, "TDC
Til Salg: Fonde Sætter TDC Til Salg Igen Om Få År [TDC for Sale: Trusts Will Put TDC up for Sale Again in a Few
Years]," Politiken, December 1, 2005. Page 2.
274
Schröter, "Economic Culture and Its Transfer: An Overview of the Americanisation of the European Economy,
1900-2005." Page 339. Also Hallin and Mancini, Comparing Media Systems. Three Models of Media and Politics. Page
289-291. See also Allern and Blach-Ørsten, "The News Media as A Political Institution: A Scandinavian Perspective."
Page 1-3.
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