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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Yet this simple noti<strong>on</strong> appears to become more and more irrelevant.Over the years the understanding <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> democracy hasexperienced almost unperceivable, but far reaching changes.<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong>ce clear cut distincti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> different roles <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> differentgroups within society is becoming increasingly blurred. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> role<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the representatives <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the media is no excepti<strong>on</strong>. 57 Politiciansincreasingly use the media to promote their own pers<strong>on</strong>al pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>ilein light <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the next electi<strong>on</strong>s, and less to promote publicdebate about ideas, programmes and visi<strong>on</strong>s. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g>y sometimeseven substitute journalists by actively writing for media outlets<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> their choice.Governmental instituti<strong>on</strong>s increasingly abuse the mediaas a cheap propaganda tool. Analysing the role <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the Swedishmedia during the Kosovo c<strong>on</strong>flict, the Swedish “Office for PsychologicalDefense” c<strong>on</strong>cluded that NATO and the US Department<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Defense had successfully managed “to transform themedia <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the countries participating in the campaign into afourth force next to the army, the Air Force and the Navy”. 58According to the Swedish researchers the main drive <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>NATO press policy during the Kosovo crisis was to keep radioand TV journalists busy 24 hours a day and to provide themwith as much “filtered” infotainment as possible in order to levelthe general quality <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> informati<strong>on</strong>. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> clear intenti<strong>on</strong> was t<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>orce the “slower” print media to follow the editorial line dictatedby the electr<strong>on</strong>ic media. “Independence and integrity <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> theWestern media are steadily retrieving under the pressure <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> theNew World Order”. 5955 European Federati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Journalists, Eastern Empires (Brussels, June 2003).56 Karl H<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>fmann, Albanien; in: Bayrischer Rundfunk B5 (10 October 2003).57 Michael Rutz, editor-in-chief <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the German weekly newspaper Rheinischer Merkurin a speech <strong>on</strong> Freedom and Pluralism <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the <str<strong>on</strong>g>Media</str<strong>on</strong>g> (Berlin, 30 May 2003).58 Office for Psychological Defense, “Kampen om det kommunikative rummet”JOHANNES VON DOHNANYI 53