The Mass Media Freedom in a State of Emergency: Infodemic vs. COVID-19 Pandemic

AbstractInformation, as well as freedom of expression and freedom of the media are essential for democratic society and fundamental characteristic of modern states. The year 2020 will be remembered as a year of pandemic caused from Covid-19 (coronavirus) and a year of response to unexpected challenge that the spread of the virus caused. In the times of pandemic and any type of crisis, the media always plays a key role in informing the public all over the Globe. This paper aims to make theoretical descriptive research and analysis of the influence of coronavirus on news consumption, the role of media in communication and presentation of important developments during pandemic. The authors present an overview of the media system and the latest developments in the EU in preventing fake news related to the pandemic. We conclude that media plays key role in informing the citizens during pandemic and therefore they have increased responsibility in providing reliable information. At the same time, since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, the media have been challenged with parallel outbreaks of disinformation and misinformation about the virus, ranging from fake coronavirus cures, false claims and harmful health advice to wild conspiracy theories. Disinformation can in turn speed up the spread of disease, hinder effective public health responses, as well as create confusion, fear and distrust. We highlight the fundamental function of creating awareness regarding the topic based on facts, and the need of media for preventing panic and fostering people's understanding by ‘checking the source and information twice’.

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LEGAL BASIS OF PRESS FREEDOM IN IRELAND

Roczniki Administracji i Prawa ◽

10.5604/01.3001.0014.1686 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 (XX) ◽

pp. 19-44

Author(s):

Michał Kaczmarczyk

Keyword(s):

Freedom Of Expression ◽

Press Freedom ◽

Legal Basis ◽

Legal Tradition ◽

Freedom Of Establishment ◽

Media Freedom ◽

Media System ◽

The Press ◽

The Media ◽

The Right

The concept of freedom of the press is closely linked to freedom of expression. Freedom of the media is an instrument of free speech and is derived from the freedom of expression, independence of thought, opinion, ideas and judgement. Freedom of the media is possible only if the state ensures real independence of expression, access to reliable information, freedom of publication and publishing. Respecting media freedom through non-interference by public auReceived thorities is an important part of the European standard of democracy, and is aligned with the essence of the liberal democratic regime. Ireland has a diversified market of newspapers and magazines, created by private entities, operating on the basis of well-developed guarantees of freedom of establishment that are deeply rooted in the Irish legal tradition. Freedom of speech, which is also enjoyed by the media, is enshrined in the Constitution, and appropriate institutions have been established to protect it, defending the right of the media to obtain and disseminate information, but also to safeguard the principles of law and ethics in journalism, combining the right of the press to express opinions and freely describe reality with the right of the beneficiaries of this activity (readers) to obtain information that is reliable, true, honest and credible. This article attempts to characterize the legal basis of press freedom in Ireland (both domestic and international) and to describe the institutions that uphold this freedom, ensuring that the media system functions properly as one of the subsystems of the social system.

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Freedom of Expression versus Privacy and the Right to Reputation

10.1093/oso/9780198795957.003.0009 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Dirk Voorhoof

Keyword(s):

Public Interest ◽

Freedom Of Expression ◽

Media Freedom ◽

Investigative Journalism ◽

The Public ◽

The Right Of Privacy ◽

The One ◽

Grand Chamber ◽

The Right ◽

The Impact

The normative perspective of this chapter is how to guarantee respect for the fundamental values of freedom of expression and journalistic reporting on matters of public interest in cases where a (public) person claims protection of his or her right to reputation. First it explains why there is an increasing number and expanding potential of conflicts between the right to freedom of expression and media freedom (Article 10 ECHR), on the one hand, and the right of privacy and the right to protection of reputation (Article 8 ECHR), on the other. In addressing and analysing the European Court’s balancing approach in this domain, the characteristics and the impact of the seminal 2012 Grand Chamber judgment in Axel Springer AG v. Germany (no. 1) are identified and explained. On the basis of the analysis of the Court’s subsequent jurisprudence in defamation cases it evaluates whether this case law preserves the public watchdog-function of media, investigative journalism and NGOs reporting on matters of public interest, but tarnishing the reputation of public figures.

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Media Systems in the Digital Age: An Empirical Comparison of 30 Countries

Journal of Communication ◽

10.1093/joc/jqab054 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Edda Humprecht ◽

Laia Castro Herrero ◽

Sina Blassnig ◽

Michael Brüggemann ◽

Sven Engesser

Keyword(s):

Cluster Analysis ◽

Empirical Evidence ◽

Information Technologies ◽

Digital Age ◽

Online News ◽

Empirical Comparison ◽

Media Freedom ◽

Media System ◽

The Media ◽

Media Systems

Abstract Media systems have changed significantly as a result of the development of information technologies. However, typologies of media systems that incorporate aspects of digitalization are rare. This study fills this gap by identifying, operationalizing, and measuring indicators of media systems in the digital age. We build on previous work, extend it with new indicators that reflect changing conditions (such as online news use), and include media freedom indicators. We include 30 countries in our study and use cluster analysis to identify three clusters of media systems. Two of these clusters correspond to the media system models described by Hallin and Mancini, namely the democratic-corporatist and the polarized-pluralist model. However, the liberal model as described by Hallin and Mancini has vanished; instead, we find empirical evidence of a new cluster that we call “hybrid”: it is positioned in between the poles of the media-supportive democratic-corporatist and the polarized-pluralist clusters.

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Medier og selvstændighed i Grønland

Politik ◽

10.7146/politik.v22i1.114841 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Signe Ravn-Højgaard

Keyword(s):

Nation Building ◽

Digital Platforms ◽

The Public ◽

Media Regulation ◽

Media System ◽

The Media ◽

Streaming Services ◽

Potential Impact ◽

Media Systems ◽

Public Economy

This article discusses the potential impact of Greenlandic independence on Greenland’s media system and suggests initiatives necessary for maintaining strong Greenlandic media in the future. Using Manuel Puppis' (2009) theory of the characteristics of small media systems, the Greenlandic media system is described. It is shown that it is built with the following aim in mind: the media should support the Greenlandic society by being independent and diverse, strengthening the Greenlandic language, and providing quality journalism that can heighten the public debate. However, as a small media system it is vulnerable to global tendencies where legacy media lose users and advertisers to digital platforms like Facebook and streaming services. The article argues that the vulnerability of the Greenlandic media system could increase if independence leads to a tighter public economy, impeding the media's ability to support Greenlandic society and culture. An interventionist media regulation could, therefore, be a prerequisite for a strong Greenlandic media system that can act as a unifying and nation-building institution.

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As Heard on…

The Oxford Handbook of Music and Advertising ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190691240.013.36 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 603-624

Author(s):

Justin Patch

Keyword(s):

Online Advertising ◽

Political Advertising ◽

Emotional Content ◽

The Other ◽

Nuclear War ◽

Film Scores ◽

The Public ◽

The Media ◽

The Times ◽

Musical Elements

The musical elements of political advertising change with the times. From songsters, contrafactum songs with lyrics that extoll one candidate or party and denigrate the other, to television and radio jingles and online ads, the aesthetics of the campaign mirror the media diet of the public. Early television ads imitated jingles of the day: They were simple, catchy, and repetitive. Both Eisenhower’s “Ike for President” and Kennedy’s “Kennedy” follow this mold. Johnson’s 1964 campaign breaks this mold with “Daisy,” an anti-Goldwater ad known for deploying the eerie sounds of nuclear war. Successive campaigns sought to use a similar recipe, employing cues from film scores and trailers to dictate the emotional content of the ad. Recently, online advertising has bloomed, including tribute videos and promotional spots made by citizens and submitted to the campaign, adding grassroots allure and authenticity.

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Hall of Mirrors: Media, Democratization, and the Public Sphere in Maranhão, Brazil

Latin American Perspectives ◽

10.1177/0094582x18757473 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 45 (3) ◽

pp. 208-223 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Julián Durazo Herrmann

Keyword(s):

New Media ◽

Public Sphere ◽

Regime Change ◽

Freedom Of Expression ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

The Public ◽

Critical Elements ◽

Strong Interference ◽

The Media ◽

The Public Sphere

Freedom of expression and access to diverse sources of information are seen as critical elements of democracy, although their concretization on the ground is subject to strong interference. Recent regime change in Maranhão, one of Brazil’s poorest states, has led to the emergence of new media and some expansion of the public sphere. The traditional oligarchy continues to dominate the media, however, and the opposition media replicate its exclusion of nonelite actors. The Maranhão experience confirms that normative approaches to the media either as automatic contributors to democracy or as instruments of elite manipulation have little value for understanding media dynamics. Liberdade de expressão, bem como o acesso a diversas fontes de informação, são considerados elementos críticos da democracia, ainda que a concretização desses fatores esteja sujeita a forte interferência. A recente troca de regime no Maranhão, um dos estados mais pobres do Brasil, tem levado ao surgimento de uma nova mídia e a uma certa expansão da esfera pública. Contudo, a oligarquia continua dominando a mídia tradicional e a mídia alternativa imita a prática de exclusão de atores não pertencentes à elite. A experiência do Maranhão confirma que tratamentos normativos que veem a mídia como contribuinte automática do processo democrático, ou como instrumento de manipulação da elite, teem pouco valor para se entender a dinâmica da mídia.

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Political pressure mounts on Japanese media

Emerald Expert Briefings ◽

10.1108/oxan-db201214 ◽

2015 ◽

Keyword(s):

Prime Minister ◽

Freedom Of Expression ◽

Press Freedom ◽

Political Pressure ◽

Content Type ◽

International Media ◽

The Public ◽

The Media ◽

Near Term ◽

The Government

Significance The issue of media independence has become a fraught one under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration, with perceptions rising among journalists and the public that the government is subjecting the media to political pressure. Critics of the administration speak of censorship and threats to freedom of expression. Japan's ranking in the World Press Freedom Index has fallen from 22nd in 2011-12, before Abe took office, to 61st in 2015. Impacts The government seems likely to try to marginalise the criticisms of constitutional scholars, like it marginalises its other critics. International media as well as domestic journalists are likely to feel some pressure from the authorities. In the near term, the issue is unlikely to destabilise the government, or derail passage of security legislation.

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The Media and Power in Postliberal Venezuela

Latin American Perspectives ◽

10.1177/0094582x16661185 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 44 (1) ◽

pp. 199-214 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ewa Sapiezynska

Keyword(s):

Latin American ◽

Freedom Of Expression ◽

Negative Freedom ◽

The Public ◽

Positive Freedom ◽

The Media ◽

The Government ◽

Hugo Chavez ◽

The Right

Two narratives dominate the literature about the state of freedom of expression in postliberal Venezuela, and they have few points in common, since they depend on different conceptualizations of the notion of freedom of expression. While the traditional liberal narrative focuses on the negative freedom that prohibits state interference, the postliberal narrative is based on positive freedom that encompasses the collective right of self-realization, particularly for the previously marginalized. During the government of Hugo Chávez, the discourse of freedom of expression was renewed, placing it in the context of power relations, accentuating positive freedom, and emphasizing the role of the public and community media. The establishment of the international public channel TeleSUR has revived the 1970s debate about the right to communication and contributed to the creation of a new Latin American-ness. En la literatura predominan dos narrativas acerca del estado de la libertad de expresión en la Venezuela posliberal las que tienen pocos puntos en común porque parten de visiones distintas del concepto de la libertad de expresión. Mientras la narrativa liberal tradicional enfoca sólo en la libertad negativa que previene la injerencia estatal, la narrativa posliberal se centra en la libertad positiva que abarca la autorrealización del derecho colectivo, también de los previamente marginalizados. Durante el gobierno de Hugo Chávez el discurso acerca de la libertad de expresión se renueva, insertando el concepto en el contexto de las relaciones de poder, acentuando la libertad positiva y enfatizando el rol de los medios públicos y comunitarios. El establecimiento del medio público internacional TeleSUR revive los debates sobre el derecho a la comunicación de la década de los 70 y aporta a la creación de una nueva Latinoamericanidad.

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