The Impact of Media Concentration on Professional ... - OSCE
The Impact of Media Concentration on Professional ... - OSCE
The Impact of Media Concentration on Professional ... - OSCE
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5.3.2 Survey Results<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> United Kingdom, as <strong>on</strong>e <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the world’s oldest democraciesfuncti<strong>on</strong>s al<strong>on</strong>g a well established system <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> instituti<strong>on</strong>s, proceduresand unwritten rules. Even the C<strong>on</strong>stituti<strong>on</strong> has neverbeen put in writing.Accordingly, the British media system is not to be comparedwith any c<strong>on</strong>tinental European model.Undoubtedly, the British media system has always been regulatedto a much lesser degree than the c<strong>on</strong>tinental media. Sincethe introducti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> a new media law in 2003 the UK enjoys themost liberalized and open media market <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the European Uni<strong>on</strong>.Ownership c<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong>, already at a high level, has thusreceived new incentives, according to the government’s c<strong>on</strong>victi<strong>on</strong>that <strong>on</strong>ly financially str<strong>on</strong>g newspaper groups will be able tocompete <strong>on</strong> an ever more globalized media market. Cross-ownershipbarriers, which were am<strong>on</strong>g the lowest in Europe in thepast, have been further alleviated to foster the creati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> British,globally operating media giants. As the first member <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the EuropeanUni<strong>on</strong>, L<strong>on</strong>d<strong>on</strong> has opened its market to 100 per cent ownership<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> British media by foreign media c<strong>on</strong>glomerates.Born out <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the l<strong>on</strong>g standing cultural traditi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Freedom<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> opini<strong>on</strong> and expressi<strong>on</strong>, British newspaper journalists,including those working with quality papers, have alwaysbeen c<strong>on</strong>sidered as unruly and aggressively partisan. In comparis<strong>on</strong>,British broadcasters have an internati<strong>on</strong>al reputati<strong>on</strong>as being neutral and impartial.To counter the ec<strong>on</strong>omic liberalism enjoyed by the owners,British journalism used to be highly uni<strong>on</strong>ised. It was Thatcherismthat broke the uni<strong>on</strong>s’ power during the 1970s and 1980s.<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> effects <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the “Ir<strong>on</strong> Lady’s” revoluti<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong> the uni<strong>on</strong>sare clearly visible. Of the British journalists c<strong>on</strong>tacted for thissurvey <strong>on</strong>ly 47 per cent were working at a newspaper with anestablished works council. (Fig. 1)122 THE IMPACT OF MEDIA CONCENTRATION ON PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISM