European Media in Crisis. Values, Risks and Policies

When the financial markets collapsed in 2008, the media industry was affected by a major slump in advertising revenues, and a formerly highly successful business model fell into a state of decay. This economic crisis has threatened core social values of contemporary democracies, such as freedom, diversity and equality. Taking a normative and policy perspective, this book discusses threats and opportunities for the media industry in Europe: What are the implications of the crisis for professional journalism, the media industry, and the process of political communication? Can non- state and non-market actors profit from the crisis? And what are media policy answers at the national and European level?

Contents:
+ Foreword - Denis McQuail
+ Introduction - Josef Trappel, Jeanette Steemers and Barbara Thomass
PART 1: European Media in Crisis: Problems, Perspectives and Definitions
1. What Media Crisis? Normative Starting Points - Barbara Thomass, Hannu Nieminen, Josef Trappel and Werner A. Meier
2. Systemic Media Changes and Social and Political Polarization in Europe - Auksė Balčytienė and Kristina Juraitė

PART 2: Media Industry Crises and Transformations
3. European Communication and Information Industries in Times of Crisis: Continuities and Transformations - Laura Bergés and Stelios Papathanassopoulos
4. Broadcasting is Dead. Long Live Television: Perspectives from Europe - Jeanette Steemers
5. Crisis of the Commercial Media - Josef Trappel, Laura Bergés and Elena Vartanova

PART 3: Crisis in Journalism Values, Public Communication and Representation
6. Safeguarding Newsroom Autonomy: Tensions Between the Ideal and the Actual - Karin Raeymaeckers, Elena Vartanova and Auksė Balčytienė
7. Crisis of the News: The Framing of the Euro Crisis and the ‘Greek Problem’ - Leen d’Haenens, Willem Joris and Stylianos Papathanassopoulos
8. Gender and Media in Times of Crises - Karen Ross and Claudia Padovani
9. A Crisis in Political Communication? - Stylianos Papathanassopoulos and Ralph Negrine

PART 4: Looking to the Future: Policy Perspectives
10. Challenges and Confusion in Media Regulation: A Four Country Comparison - Hannu Nieminen, Claudia Padovani, Helena Sousa and Alessandro D’Arma
11. Renewing the Public Service Media Remit - Leen d’Haenens, Hallvard Moe and Barbara Thomass
12. Can Civil Society Mitigate Consequences of Crises? - Anker Brink Lund
Conclusions
13. Grappling with Post-Democracy: Media Policy Options - Werner A. Meier and Josef Trappel