Reinventing ‘Many Voices’: MacBride and a Digital New World Information and Communication Order

The MacBride Commission Report was arguably one of the most significant multilateral interventions in the history of international communication. This article charts its emergence at the time of deeply contested Cold War politics, coinciding with the rise of the southern voices in the global arena, led by the non-aligned nations. Thirty-five years after the report's publication, has the global media evolved into a more democratic system, demonstrating greater diversity of views and viewpoints? Despite the still formidable power of US-led western media, the article suggests that the globalisation and digitisation of communication has contributed to a multi-layered and more complex global media scene, demonstrating the “rise of the rest”

Unlocking Journalism Resilience: Adapting the Business Model to Promote Press Freedom

The report delves deeper into the digital shift to explore business issues of media in repressed or flawed markets. To-date, little is known about their specific economic experiences while evidence of how revenue models adapt remains scant. Despite this lack of research, business issues remain a major factor in the ability of media to contribute and impact their communities. The report identifies how digital media face a particular set of challenges, including business pressures and restrictions. From the one side they tackle issues relating to online registration or high levels of taxation, and the other from added pressure of government controls on advertisers and government-controlled advertising agencies. Media are concerned about digital monetisation and distribution, as well as playing a balancing act with technology giants, Facebook and Google. Lack of data analysis, and a shortage of advertising revenues were cited as key problems. These challenges are symptomatic both of new media and the new media operations of traditional media, and significantly frustrate the ability of these media to reach their audiences and establish financial sustainability

Comparing legacy media responses to the changing business of news: Cross-national similarities and differences across media types

In this article, we analyse how legacy media organizations in six countries are adapting to the changing business of news. We focus on how similarities and differences in their responses to digital developments are shaped by the interplay between organizational legacy and national context. The study draws on media sociology and comparative media systems research and is based on 54 interviews with senior editors and managers at 25 newspapers and commercial broadcasters in Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the UK. We find that organizations within the same medium respond to change in similar ways (newspapers versus broadcasters), and that these responses are surprisingly similar across different countries. We argue that factors related to the medium-specific legacy shape media adaptation more than do structural differences between national media systems because news organizations faced with a changing and uncertain environment imitate the strategies adopted by peer organizations elsewhere

Changing views on media ethics and societal functions among students in Singapore

This panel study assessed changes in ethical ideology and beliefs about the societal function of media over the course of undergraduate communication education in Singapore. First, students’ agreement with the ethical principles of truth telling, independence, and accountability increased. Second, change in agreement with the ethical principle of minimizing harm was negatively related to change in justification of contentious newsgathering methods. Third, belief that the media should function as a watchdog increased and that it should serve national development decreased. Change in these variables was inversely correlated. We relate these findings to global contexts and make recommendations for curriculum development.Accepted versio