In:
New Media & Society, SAGE Publications, Vol. 1, No. 2 ( 1999-08), p. 183-207
Abstract:
This article deals with access and diversity as central concepts of modern communications policy. Access may be sought at different layers of the communications system (Section 2), each presupposing a specific elaboration of communications policy questions (Table 1). Diversity, that is media diversity, refers to media content (Section 3). Media diversity has two faces: reflection of population preferences and openness, equal, uniform media access for divergent population preferences. These two faces have a dialectic relationship: usually for media systems it is not possible to produce full reflection and full openness at the same time. In Section 4 it is argued that, due to Hotelling's Law, media markets are often better at reflection than at openness. In Section 5 the relationships between media competition and media diversity are further explored within the framework of media and democracy. Three hypotheses on these relationships are being developed. In Section 6 a plea is made for the main objective of modern communications policy to be free and equal access to a social communications system that diversely provides for the information and communication needs in society.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1461-4448
,
1461-7315
DOI:
10.1177/14614449922225555
Language:
English
Publisher:
SAGE Publications
Publication Date:
1999
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1476527-5
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2684519-2
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2016312-5
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2686704-7
SSG:
24,1
SSG:
3,4
SSG:
3,5
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