VARNA DECLARATION
NEW
General information
IFJ Documents and Publications
Links
General Information: Every year the process of media concentration is increasing and with it comes growing concern for the impact on media quality, pluralism and diversity.
Public concern about corporate and political dominance over media and information services is greater than ever. Confidence among readers, viewers, listeners and users of information is low and there is an increasing perception that journalism is failing to carry out its watchdog role in society because of the vested interests that drive the media business. Not surprisingly, politicians are worried, too. The media concentration process has paralysed policy makers and it is time to stimulate fresh debate and prepare concrete actions to confront the challenge of corporate power in mass media.
Some of the major problems are:
Political and Private Threats to Public Service Broadcasting: with limited finances, public broadcasting cannot compete against the massive resources that large global media groups can draw on to develop programming, acquire sports rights and launch new subscription and pay-per-view channels.
Power in The Hands of Few: a handful of powerful global media groups take control of the expanding media and leisure market spanning film, television, book publishing, music, new online media, theme parks, sport, the print media and even the theatre. Deregulation has boosted both the commercial power of global corporations, but it also gives them political power. They are currently demanding even greater relaxation of rules on media ownership, spending enormous sums on political donations while lobbying key politicians.
Concentration supported by national laws: Most governments of developed countries enact legislation to speed up the process of concentration. The threats to diversity and plurality in our media have never been greater, and there will also be a damaging impact on the range and quality of the work that journalists produce.
The IFJ says the market itself cannot protect pluralism and diversity. The public’s need to be properly informed means that information services must be regulated beyond the market framework of ratings, profits and commercial objectives.
IFJ Documents and Publications:
Media Power in Europe: The Big Picture of Ownership
The Updated Survey on Media Ownership in Europe (2005), PDF, 7.38 MB
Links:
Mediachannel.org, Ownership section
US : Reclaim the FCC !
US : Columbia Journalism Review, Section on "Who Owns What"
US : Center for Public Integrity, Database on Media Ownership
US : Consumers' Union, "Who Owns the News?"
US : Mediareform.org, Media Ownership campaign
US : Center for Digital Democracy
US : Journalism.org, Media Ownership and Deregulation
US : Corporations.org, Section on media ownership
Canada : Yourmedia.org, information on media ownership, including CanWest
Peace Institute, study on media ownership in central and Eastern Europe
Europe : European Audiovisual Observatory, Section on Law & Policy
Europe : www.forculturaldiversity.org, A petition for cultural diversity
UK : Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom
Study on media ownership, Department of Canadian Heritage
Observatoire français des médias, in FRENCH : update on concentration of French media
Australia : Media Ownership Regulation, Website of the Parliamentary Library
Brazil : Article on brazil-brasil.com