Table Of ContentMEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE
ERA OF POST-TRUTH POLITICS
Bringing together both leading international scholars and emerging academic talent,
Media Accountability in the Era of Post-Truth Politics maps the current state of media
accountability in Europe and provides fresh perspectives for future developments in
media and communication fields.
As the integrity of the international media landscape is challenged by far-reaching
transformations and the rise of “fake news,” the need for a functional system of media
regulation is greater than ever. This book addresses the pressing need to re-evaluate
and redefine the notion of accountability in the fast-changing field of journalism and
“information provision.” Using comparative research and empirical data, the book’s case
studies address the notion of media accountability from various perspectives, consider-
ing political and societal change, economic, organisational and technological factors,
and the changing role of media audiences. By collecting and juxtaposing these studies,
the book provides a new discussion for the old question of how we can safeguard free
and responsible media in Europe – a question that seems more urgent than ever.
Media Accountability in the Era of Post-Truth Politics is an essential read for students
and researchers in journalism, media and communication studies.
Tobias Eberwein, Senior Scientist and Research Group Leader at the Institute for
Comparative Media and Communication Studies of the Austrian Academy of Sciences,
Vienna, and the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt.
Susanne Fengler, Professor for International Journalism at the Institute of Journalism, and
Director of the Erich Brost Institute for International Journalism, TU Dortmund University.
Matthias Karmasin, Professor at the Department of Media and Communications,
Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt, and Director of the Institute for Comparative
Media and Communication Studies at the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the
Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt.
ROUTLEDGE STUDIES IN EUROPEAN
COMMUNICATION RESEARCH AND EDUCATION
Edited by Ilija Tomanić Trivundža
University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Christina Holtz-Bacha
Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
Galina Miazhevich
Cardiff University, UK
Series Advisory Board: Nico Carpentier, François Heinderyckx, Robert Picard and Jan
Servaes
https ://ww w.rou tledg e.com /Rout ledge -Stud ies-i n-Eur opean -Comm unica
tion-R esear ch-an d-Edu catio n/boo k-ser ies/E CREA
Published in association with the European Communication Research and
Education Association – ECREA (www.ecrea.eu), books in the series make a
major contribution to the theory, research, practice and/or policy literature.
They are European in scope and represent a diversity of perspectives. Book pro-
posals are refereed.
For a full list of titles in this series, please visit www.routledge.com.
12. Public Policies in Media and Information Literacy in Europe
Cross Country Comparisons
Edited by Divina Frau-Meigs, Irma Velez and Julieta Flores-Michel
13. (Mis)Understanding Political Participation
Digital Practices, New Forms of Participation and the Renewal of Democracy
Edited by Jeffrey Wimmer, Cornelia Wallner, Rainer Winter, and Karoline Oelsner
14. Radio Audiences and Participation in the Age of Network Society
Edited by Tiziano Bonini and Belén Monclús
15. Media Accountability in the Era of Post-Truth Politics
European Challenges and Perspectives
Tobias Eberwein, Susanne Fengler and Matthias Karmasin
MEDIA
ACCOUNTABILITY
IN THE ERA OF POST-
TRUTH POLITICS
European Challenges
and Perspectives
Edited by Tobias Eberwein, Susanne
Fengler and Matthias Karmasin
First published 2019
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business
© 2019 selection and editorial matter, Tobias Eberwein, Susanne Fengler
and Matthias Karmasin; individual chapters, the contributors
The right of Tobias Eberwein, Susanne Fengler and Matthias Karmasin
to be identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the
authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance
with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other
means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and
recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Eberwein, Tobias, editor. | Fengler, Susanne, editor. |
Karmasin, Matthias, editor.
Title: Media accountability in the era of post-truth politics : European
challenges and perspectives/edited by Tobias Eberwein, Susanne Fengler
and Matthias Karmasin.
Description: London; New York: Routledge, 2019. | Series: Routledge
studies in European communication research and education; 14 |
Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Identifiers: LCCN 2019007115 (print) | LCCN 2019018338 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781351115780 (ebook) | ISBN 9780815361664 (hardback: alk.
paper) | ISBN 9780815361671 (pbk.: alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Mass media–Moral and ethical aspects–Europe. |
Journalistic ethics–Europe. | Mass media–Political aspects–Europe. |
Mass media and public opinion–Europe.
Classification: LCC P94 (ebook) | LCC P94 .M3543 2019 (print) |
DDC 302.23/094–dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019007115
ISBN: 978-0-8153-6166-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-8153-6167-1 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-351-11578-0 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India.
CONTENTS
Figures viii
Tables ix
Contributors x
PART I
Concepts and classifications of media accountability 1
1 Theory and practice of media accountability in Europe:
An introductory overview 3
Tobias Eberwein, Susanne Fengler and Matthias Karmasin
2 European models of journalism regulation: A comparative
classification 18
João Miranda and Carlos Camponez
3 The circular impact model: Conceptualising media
accountability 36
Caroline Lindekamp
PART II
Political and societal challenges 53
4 Media accountability in the era of fake news: Journalistic
boundary work and its problems in Finland 55
Heikki Heikkilä and Jari Väliverronen
vi Contents
5 Media accountability instruments concerning immigration
and the polarisation of trust in journalism in Sweden 69
Torbjörn von Krogh and Göran Svensson
6 Press repeat: Media self-regulation in the United Kingdom
after Leveson 84
Gordon Ramsay and Martin Moore
7 Media accountability meets media polarisation: A case
study from Poland 100
Michał Głowacki and Michał Kuś
PART III
Economic and organisational challenges 117
8 Selling short media accountability? The importance of
addressing market-driven claims of media freedom 119
Andrew T. Kenyon, Eva-Maria Svensson and Maria Edström
9 Public value and shared value through the delivery of
accountability 135
Kaisa Sorsa
10 Strengthening media accountability through regulated
self-regulation: The Swiss model 150
Mirco Saner and Vinzenz Wyss
11 Accountability and corporate social responsibility in the
media industry: A topic of relevance? 162
Isabell Koinig, Sandra Diehl, Franzisca Weder and Matthias Karmasin
PART IV
Technological challenges 179
12 Involvement of private and civil society actors in media
regulation processes: A comparison of all European Union
member states 181
Dirk Arnold
13 E merging structures of control for algorithms on the
Internet: Distributed agency – distributed accountability 196
Florian Saurwein
Contents vii
14 Ensuring accountability and transparency in networked
journalism: A critical analysis of collaborations between
whistleblowing platforms and investigative journalism 212
Colin Porlezza and Philip Di Salvo
PART V
Perspectives: Rethinking the role of the audience 227
15 C omplaints handling mechanisms and online
accountability in Western European public service media 229
Dolors Palau-Sampio
16 A wheelbarrow full of frogs: How media organisations in
the Netherlands are dealing with online public complaints 243
Yael de Haan
17 The battle over the living room: Constructing an
accountable popular culture 255
Efrat Daskal
18 Examining media accountability in online media and the
role of active audiences: The case of Spain 270
Jose A. García-Avilés
19 M edia criticism in an African journalistic culture: An
inventory of media accountability practices in Kenya 284
David Cheruiyot
Index 299
FIGURES
2.1 Distribution of regulatory bodies according to the two
axes of analysis 30
3.1 M edia accountability (MA) as the dependent variable 40
3.2 M edia accountability instruments as the independent
variable 44
3.3 Combining models about the impact on, and of, media
accountability (MA) 45
3.4 Comparing media accountability (MA) cultures in the
circular impact model 47
7.1 Levels of media polarisation 105
8.1 Components of media freedom 121
9.1 Key performance measurement concepts in media
organisations 138
11.1 C onceptualisation of media accountability and corporate
social responsibility 164
11.2 F orms of CSR activities in the media industry 169
11.3 F requency of CSR in the media industry 172
11.4 M edia-specific CSR issues 173
13.1 Accountability concepts in accountability networks for
algorithmic selection 201
14.1 D igital media accountability model 217
TABLES
2.1 Fundamental elements of origin and framework of the
analysed regulatory bodies 26
2.2 Fundamental elements of composition of the analysed
regulatory bodies 27
2.3 Fundamental elements of procedure and sanctioning
limits of the analysed regulatory bodies 29
10.1 Existence of editorial basic documents underlying the
in-house EQMS 155
10.2 Existence of editorial quality assurance processes 157
16.1 Media organisations that participated in the Dutch study 247
18.1 Implementation of accountability instruments used by
Spanish media with online presence 275
