Table Of Content“In response to growing criticism and less trust in media and journalism, ‘media accountability’
has moved from being a theoretical concept to a practical approach all over Europe. This impres-
sive handbook offers the first comprehensive comparison of media accountability practices in
all European Union countries, and presents a prototype of a European Media Accountability
Index.”
– Jo Bardoel, Professor Emeritus of Journalism and Media,
University of Amsterdam and Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
“This authoritative handbook provides a 33-nation assessment of media accountability in
and around Europe. Offering scholarly and professional insight, the results of this comparative
inquiry are especially timely as political and technological developments pose new challenges to
a free and responsible press.”
– Scott R. Maier, Journalism Director,
University of Oregon, USA.
“It is a milestone achievement to compile 33 country reports on a comparative basis with a
shared focus covering media accountability offline and online. But this is more than an inven-
tory: it proposes a European Media Accountability Index – something that will hopefully
become a standard reference next to those of media freedom. An excellent source for promoting
media culture in Europe and beyond!”
– Kaarle Nordenstreng, University of Tampere, Finland.
This page intentionally left blank
The european handbook of
Media accounTabiliTy
In recent years, the Leveson Inquiry in Great Britain, as well as the EU High-Level Group on
Media Freedom and Pluralism, have stirred heated debates about media accountability and
media self-regulation across Europe. How responsible are journalists? How well-developed are
infrastructures of media self-regulation in the different European countries? How much com-
mitment to media accountability is there in the media industry – and how actively do media
users become involved in the process of media criticism via social media?
With contributions from leading scholars in the field of journalism and mass communica-
tion, this handbook brings together reports on the status quo of media accountability in all EU
member states as well as key countries close to Europe, such as Turkey and Israel. Each chapter
provides an up-to-date overview of media accountability structures as well as a synopsis of rel-
evant research, exploring the role of media accountability instruments in each national setting,
including both media self-regulation (such as codes of ethics, press councils, ombudspersons)
and new instruments that involve audiences and stakeholder groups (such as media blogs and
user comment systems).
A theoretically informed, cross-national comparative analysis of the state of media accounta-
bility in contemporary Europe, this handbook constitutes an invaluable basis for further research
and policy-making and will appeal to students and scholars of media studies and journalism, as
well as policy-makers and practitioners.
Tobias Eberwein is a Senior Scientist at the Institute for Comparative Media and
Communication Studies of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austria, and the Alpen-Adria-
Universität Klagenfurt, Austria.
Susanne Fengler is a Professor of International Journalism and Director of the Erich Brost
Institute for International Journalism at TU Dortmund University, Germany.
Matthias Karmasin is a Professor at the Department of Media and Communications, Alpen-
Adria-Universität Klagenfurt, Austria, and Director of the Institute for Comparative Media and
Communication Studies at the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Alpen-Adria-Universität
Klagenfurt, Austria.
This page intentionally left blank
The european
handbook of Media
accounTabiliTy
Edited by Tobias Eberwein, Susanne Fengler
& Matthias Karmasin
First published 2018
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2018 selection and editorial matter, Tobias Eberwein, Susanne Fengler &
Matthias Karmasin; individual chapters, the contributors
The right of Tobias Eberwein, Susanne Fengler & 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 of compilation. | Fengler, Susanne,
1971- editor of compilation. | Karmasin, Matthias, editor of compilation.
Title: The European handbook of media accountability / edited by
Tobias Eberwein, Susanne Fengler & Matthias Karmasin.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon; New York: Routledge, 2017. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016058692 | ISBN 9781472457660 (hardback) |
ISBN 9781315616353 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Mass media–Moral and ethical aspects–Europe. |
Journalistic ethics–Europe. | Mass media and public opinion–Europe. |
Mass media–Political aspects–Europe.
Classification: LCC P94 .E94 2017 | DDC 174/.907--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016058692
ISBN: 978-1-4724-5766-0 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-61635-3 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India
Contents
List of illustrations x
Notes on contributors xi
1 Introduction: Putting media accountability on the map 1
Tobias Eberwein, Susanne Fengler and Matthias Karmasin
2 Austria: Back on the democratic corporatist road? 7
Matthias Karmasin, Klaus Bichler and Andy Kaltenbrunner
3 Belgium: Divided along language lines 14
Karin Raeymaeckers and François Heinderyckx
4 Bulgaria: Regaining media freedom 24
Bissera Zankova and Michał Głowacki
5 Croatia: Unfulfilled expectations 31
Stjepan Malović
6 Cyprus: Behind closed (journalistic) doors 39
Dimitra L. Milioni, Lia-Paschalia Spyridou and Michalis Koumis
7 Czech Republic: The market governs 47
Tomáš Trampota
8 Denmark: Voluntary accountability driven by political pressure 54
Mark Blach-Ørsten, Jannie Møller Hartley and Sofie Flensburg
9 Estonia: Conflicting views on accountability practices 63
Urmas Loit, Epp Lauk and Halliki Harro-Loit
vii
Contents
10 Finland: The empire renewing itself 73
Jari Väliverronen and Heikki Heikkilä
11 France: Media accountability as an abstract idea? 80
Olivier Baisnée, Ludivine Balland and Sandra Vera Zambrano
12 Germany: Disregarded diversity 90
Tobias Eberwein, Susanne Fengler, Mariella Bastian and Janis Brinkmann
13 Greece: Between systemic inefficiencies and nascent opportunities online 99
Evangelia Psychogiopoulou and Anna Kandyla
14 Hungary: Difficult legacy, slow transformation 107
Agnes Urban
15 Ireland: Moving from courts to institutions of accountability 115
Roderick Flynn
16 Israel: Media in political handcuffs 128
Noam Lemelshtrich Latar
17 Italy: Transparency as an inspiration 137
Sergio Splendore
18 Latvia: Different journalistic cultures and different accountability within
one media system 143
Ainars Dimants
19 Lithuania: The ideology of liberalism and its flaws in the democratic
performance of the media 150
Kristina Juraitė, Auksė Balčytienė and Audronė Nugaraitė
20 Luxembourg: Low priority in a confined milieu 160
Mario Hirsch
21 Malta: Media accountability as a two-legged ‘tripod’ 163
Joseph Borg and Mary Anne Lauri
22 The Netherlands: From awareness to realization 170
Harmen Groenhart and Huub Evers
23 Norway: Journalistic power limits media accountability 180
Paul Bjerke
viii
Contents
24 Poland: Accountability in the making 190
Bogusława Dobek-Ostrowska, Michał Głowacki and Michał Kuś
25 Portugal: Many structures, little accountability 197
Nuno Moutinho, Helena Lima, Suzana Cavaco and Ana Isabel Reis
26 Romania: Unexpected pressures for accountability 207
Mihai Coman, Daniela-Aurelia Popa and Raluca-Nicoleta Radu
27 Russia: Media accountability to the public or the state? 216
Elena Vartanova and Maria Lukina
28 Slovakia: Conditional success of ethical regulation via
online instruments 225
Andrej Školkay
29 Slovenia: The paper tiger of media accountability 235
Igor Vobič, Aleksander Sašo Slaček Brlek and Boris Mance
30 Spain: New formats and old crises 243
Salvador Alsius, Ruth Rodriguez-Martinez and Marcel Mauri de los Rios
31 Sweden: A long history of media accountability adaption 251
Torbjörn von Krogh
32 Switzerland: A role model with glitches 259
Colin Porlezza
33 Turkey: Sacrificing credibility for economic expediency and partisanship 268
Ceren Sözeri
34 United Kingdom: Post-Leveson, media accountability is all over the place 277
Mike Jempson, Wayne Powell and Sally Reardon
35 Summary: Measuring media accountability in Europe – and beyond 285
Tobias Eberwein, Susanne Fengler, Katja Kaufmann,
Janis Brinkmann and Matthias Karmasin
References 301
Index 337
ix
