Page 24 - Communication Theory and Research

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Section One

International Communication

2 Research into International

Television Flows:

A Methodological Contribution

Pr eben Sepstr up

Earlier Research: a Critical Note

Most research on international communication flows is related to a (more or less
explicit) discussion of the ‘media imperialism thesis’ as introduced by Schiller
(1969, 1976) and developed and discussed by, among others, Nordenstreng and
Varis (1974); Read (1976); Boyd-Barret (1977); Tunstall (1977); Lee (1980); Mattelart
et al. (1984); and Lealand (1984).
The essence of the much debated media imperialism thesis is that a few
countries – and especially the USA – dominate both international and national
media structures and impose their cultures, values and ideologies on the receiving
countries. Depending on the specific standpoint, more or less emphasis is given
to the ‘conspiracy’ or ‘intentionality’ version, that is, that this dominance is
consciously aimed at by large, powerful countries (USA) and multinational
corporations, not only for the sake of economic profit but also for ideological
reasons such as disseminating cultural and political values, business norms,
consumption orientation, life styles, etc. The basic media imperialism thesis thus
comprises a hypothesis about imbalances in international television trade, a
hypothesis about the cultural effects on specific groups as a consequence of these
imbalances, and a hypothesis about the reasons for such lack of balance.
The crudest versions of the media imperialism thesis have been criticized,
modified and developed by both conservative and radical researchers. Interesting
theoretical contributions have come from Nordenstreng and Varis (1974),
Tunstall (1977), Mattelart et al. (1984), and Garnham (1977, 1979). Pragnell (1985)

Source: EJC (1989), vol. 4: 393–407.