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7Themedia in democracyThe media are inescapably part of the public realm, and a crucial part of thedemocratic framework of our society. Diversity of the media, access to newsand information from the widest range of sources, and accurate and honestreporting, are considered to be vital for guaranteeing pluralism of opinion,adequate political representation, and a citizen’s participation in a democraticsociety. Media pluralism also should serve democracy by facilitatingunderstanding between conflicting groups or interests; promoting cultural varietyand exchange; and facilitating social and cultural change, particularly when itprovides access for weak or marginal social groups.The world of the media is undergoing real change at present, in ways thatcannot be fully predicted. Old boundaries are breaking down. The rise of ‘newmedia’ means that there is the potential for democratisation as media becomesmore interactive. Now anybody can comment on pieces in the Guardian website,and indeed create their own blog sites. The public realm used to be physicallylimited, but now a virtual public realm creates an infinite space. The question is,however, what values will dominate it. The changing nature of the media worldmeans that policy-makers need to analyse the shifts that are occurring and thinkthrough how to achieve their aims. New questions are thrown up – how do wemaintain a public sphere on the web for communities and interest groups tocongregate, communicate and campaign? But as well as new questions, the oldpower realities are still important – whilst the web provides more spaces fordemocracy, it is also space that is being colonised by existing interests.The market can contribute to media pluralism but it cannot secure orguarantee it. Communication rights cannot be contingent upon private ownershipand control of media. The market also fails to generate adequate incentives toproduce and maintain high quality content, or to distribute enough diversecontent to meet consumer and citizen needs and preferences. Even wheremarkets are not restricted by concentration, producer power or advertisers’influence, they do not fully or adequately respond to people’s preferences orneeds, and tend to offer a much smaller range from which to select than peoplemight wish for. Preferences for less advertising and commercialism, or forexposure to new cultural forms, or for education and other so called ‘merit57