Necessary Knowledge for Communications Policy: Information Asymmetries and Commercial Data Access and Usage in the Policymaking Process

Communications policymaking increasingly relies upon research derived from large-scale databases manufactured and marketed by commercial organizations. One byproduct of this situation is that substantial inequalities in access to these data arise. These information asymmetries can result in research that fails to reflect the policy considerations of the full range of interested stakeholders. This Article explores these issues via a case study of the FCC\u27s 2003 media ownership proceeding and offers suggestions for how existing disparities in access to policy-relevant data might be addressed

Necessary Knowledge for Communications Policy: Information Asymmetries and Commercial Data Access and Usage in the Policymaking Process

Communications policymaking increasingly relies upon research derived from large-scale databases manufactured and marketed by commercial organizations. One byproduct of this situation is that substantial inequalities in access to these data arise. These information asymmetries can result in research that fails to reflect the policy considerations of the full range of interested stakeholders. This Article explores these issues via a case study of the FCC\u27s 2003 media ownership proceeding and offers suggestions for how existing disparities in access to policy-relevant data might be addressed

Access to Audiences as a First Amendment Right: Its Relevance and Implications for Electronic Media Policy

When the issue of speakers’ rights of access arises in media regulation and policy contexts, the focus typically is on the concept of speakers’ rights of access “to the media,” or “to the press.” This right usually is premised on the audience’s need for access to diverse sources and content. In contrast, in many non-mediated contexts, the concept of speakers’ rights of access frequently is defined in terms of the speaker’s own First Amendment right of access to audiences. This paper explores the important distinctions between these differing interpretations of a speaker’s access rights and argues that the concept of a speaker’s right of access to audiences merits a more prominent position in electronic media regulation and policy. This paper then explores the implications of such a shift in perspective for media regulation and policy-making

Market Competition, Station Ownership, and Local Public Affairs Programming on Broadcast Television

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73441/1/j.1460-2466.2006.00320.x.pd

Por qué las empresas de medios insisten en que no son empresas de medios, por qué están equivocadas y por qué es importante

Una postura común entre las plataformas de redes sociales y los agregadores de contenido es su resistencia a ser caracterizados como empresas mediáticas. En cambio, compañías como Google, Facebook y Twitter insisten reiteradamente en que deben ser consideradas como empresas puramente tecnológicas. Este artículo critica la posición que sostiene que estas plataformas son compañías tecnológicas en lugar de empresas de medios, explora la racionalidad que subyace a esta idea y tiene en cuenta las implicancias políticas, legales y de política pública asociadas con la aceptación o el rechazo de esta postura. Como ilustra este artículo, no se trata de una mera distinción semántica, ya que la precisa clasificación de los servicios y las tecnologías de comunicación a lo largo de la historia tiene profundas ramificaciones sobre cómo estas tecnologías y servicios son considerados por quienes elaboran políticas públicas y por las cortes judiciales.A common position amongst social media platforms and online content aggregators is their resistance to being characterized as media companies. Rather, companies such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter have regularly insisted that they should be thought of purely as technology companies. This paper critiques the position that these platforms are technology companies rather than media companies, explores the underlying rationales, and considers the political, legal, and policy implications associated with accepting or rejecting this position. As this paper illustrates, this is no mere semantic distinction, given the history of the precise classification of communications technologies and services having profound ramifications for how these technologies and services are considered by policy-makers and the courts.Uma posição comum entre plataformas de mídia social e agregadores de conteúdo é sua resistência a serem caracterizadas como empresas de mídia. Em vez disso, empresas como Google, Facebook e Twitter insistem repetidamente em que devem ser consideradas como empresas puramente tecnológicas. Este artigo critica a posição de que essas plataformas são empresas de tecnologia em vez de empresas de mídia, explora a lógica por trás dessa idéia e leva em conta as implicações políticas, legais e de políticas públicas associadas à aceitação ou rejeição desta posição. Como ilustra este artigo, não é uma mera distinção semântica, porque o histórico da classificação precisa de serviços e tecnologias de comunicação tem ramificações profundas em como essas tecnologias e serviços são considerados por aqueles que elaboram políticas públicas e pelos tribunais judiciais.El presente artículo es una traducción del texto de Napoli, P y Caplan, R. (2017), "Why media companies insist they’re not media companies, why they’re wrong, and why it matters", First Monday, 22 (5).Facultad de Trabajo Socia

Local Journalism without Journalists Metric Media and the Future of Local News

Over the past 15 years, more than 2000 newspapers in the United States have shuttered, leaving the country pockmarked by news deserts. As local newspapers have closed, networks of online local news sites have risen to replace them. We assess the largest network of this kind, Metric Media, by scraping and analyzing the content of its 999 outlets over a 2.5-month period. We find that Metric Media prioritizes the publication of state and national partisan content at the expense of local news, algorithmically generates most of its content, and fails to live up to its mission of democratizing and revitalizing local journalism

Graduates’ Attitudes to Research Skill Development in Undergraduate Media Education

This paper examines the attitudes of graduates employed in different segments of the media industry to the development of research skills during their studies. Qualitative interviews were conducted with ten graduates employed in different jobs approximately one year after graduation to understand how applicable they found generic and media-specific research skills to their employment. The study was conducted as part of a wider project evaluating the application of a systematic framework for research skills development, across whole degree programmes. The interviews demonstrate broad agreement regarding the value of research skills for media employment. However, there were divergent opinions about the need to articulate research skills explicitly and the value of media-specific skill for current employment situations. Interviewees also indicated varying levels of awareness regarding the relevance research skills have across different employment contexts. Therefore, it is important that media-educators understand how their students’ differing career destinations immediately after graduation influence formal and informal evaluations of the quality of their course. We conclude that this educational challenge is best addressed by implementing a consistent framework for research education that improves students’ metacognitive awareness of the transferability of this graduate attribute across multiple industries and career destinations