Page 235 - Comparing Media Systems THREE MODELS OF MEDIA AND POLITICS

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The North Atlantic or Liberal Model

see in the following section of this chapter. The broadcasting market was
national and at the same time highly oligopolistic, with three networks
competing for the same mass audience. Just as the networks sought the
“least objectionable programming” in the realm of entertainment, so
in news they had a strong interest in bridging political and ideologi-
cal differences. They even had to bridge the regional differences that
account for much of the modest variation in the political orientations
of American newspapers. This stance of political neutrality was gen-
erally successful in all four countries in giving the broadcasters a level
of prestige and credibility not enjoyed during some periods by news-
papers. Frank Capra’s classic Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,producedin
the 1930s when newspapers in the United States were still often highly
partisan, portrays newspaper owners as political villains, manipulating
information to thwart the will of the people. Radio, on the other hand,
is portrayed as a source of objective information.
There are signs of change in broadcasting today, connected with the
shift toward neoliberalism in broadcast policy and the shift toward
a multichannel environment. The Fairness Doctrine, which required
“balanced”coverageofcontroversialpublicissuesandwhichfree-market
advocates saw as unwarranted government interference with broadcast
content, was abolished in 1987 and highly ideological radio programs,
mostly on the right, have proliferated. In television, Rupert Murdoch’s
Fox network has established a news division that also seems to be adopt-
ing a distinctive, rightward tilt. During the 2003 war against Iraq, both
Fox and the radio giant Clear Channel sought to differentiate themselves
from market rivals by taking a particularly explicit “patriotic” stance.
Republicans and conservatives are overrepresented among Fox News
viewers, in contrast to the three traditional networks and CNN, whose
viewers are not significantly differentiated politically from the general
population (Pew Research Center 2003: 13).

PROFESSIONALIZATION
JournalisticprofessionalismisrelativelystronglydevelopedintheLiberal
countries. Certainly journalism has developed into a distinct occupa-
tional community and social activity, with a value system and standards
of practice of its own, rooted in an ideology of public service, and with
significant autonomy. At the same time, many contradictions in the
nature and significance of professionalization emerge when we look at
journalism in Liberal systems.

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