Press Freedom and Globalisation - International Press Institute

Chapter 6: Conclusion
Press Freedom and Globalisation
Press Freedom and Globalisation in Scandinavia and East Africa
Press freedom is rarely openly rejected. However, different forces compete to bend press
freedom to serve their interests. The democratic purpose of press freedom is to create
transparency and participation through free flows of information which maximise social,
political and cultural outcomes in a society. The thesis has examined the spread of press
freedom in context of globalisation. North-South perspectives have appeared due to the
attention to the regions of Scandinavia and East Africa.
The objective, to provide understanding of press freedom as a global concept, has
employed four approaches. First, to establish understanding of globalisation context.
Second, to establish understanding of the concept of press freedom. Third, to describe and
compare practices of press freedom in Scandinavia and East Africa. Fourth, to give a
balanced description of press freedom in context of globalisation.
First, globalisation interconnects peoples in the world to be more influenced by
each other. Yet, economic globalisation has concentrated power into a few hands which
control a hegemony. These global economic interests create and benefit from a global
audience which acts as like-minded consumers. The history of modern economic
globalisation starts with colonial empires. After the Second World War the United States
succeeded as the spearhead of globalisation. A world trade regime where American
business people became masters was created. After the Cold War it became the worldwide
order.
Globalisation has a number of characteristic features. First is the hierarchy of states
where the United States and a few others maintain a hegemony. Second, while some
countries such as China, India, Malaysia as well as Mexico and Turkey benefit from
increased global trade, countries in Africa have been further marginalised. Third, is the
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