Regulating media ownership is not a simple task. The media represents a field where public interest collides with technological and economic interests. The law is challenged to strike a balance between all three dimensions. This paper attempts to deconstruct cross media ownership regulation amidst this field. Firstly, chapter two establishes the theoretical viewpoints that influence the development of cross- media ownership laws, which puts forward the relevant principles and viewpoints that support the social/political, economic, and technological dimensions. Then, Chapter three and four demonstrate the interaction of these dimensions in practice by presenting a comparative case study of cross-media ownership laws in Australia and Italy. In doing so, this paper finds that cross-media ownership regulation requires the careful balancing of competing influences. Sound understanding of competing spheres of influence that interact in the realm of media ownership policy allows legislators to best formulate the directions of Australian law
