Page 316 - Comparing Media Systems THREE MODELS OF MEDIA AND POLITICS

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TheFutureofthe ThreeModels

We have summarized the characteristics of these three models at a
number of points in this book, most comprehensively in each of the
three chapters of Part II. Here is one more version of a summary, with
the emphasis, in this case, on the connections between political culture
and media culture.
The Polarized Pluralist Model is characterized by a high level of politi-
cization, with the state and political parties intervening strongly in many
areas of social life, and with much of the population holding strong loyal-
ties to widely varying political ideologies. Loyalty to these ideologies goes
along with widespread skepticism about any conception of a “common
good” that would transcend them, and a relative absence of commonly
agreed rules and norms. Polarized Pluralist systems,finally are character-
ized by unequal consumption of public information, with a fairly sharp
division between the politically active population that heavily consumes
political commentary in the press, and a politically inactive population
that consumes little political information. The news media are similarly
characterized by a high degree of external pluralism, in which media
are seen as champions of diverse political ideologies, and commitment
to these ideologies tends to outweigh commitment to a common pro-
fessional culture. Ties between journalists and political actors are close,
the state intervenes actively in the media sector, and newspapers em-
phasize sophisticated commentary directed at a readership of political
activists.
TheDemocraticCorporatist Modelischaracterizedbyastrongem-
phasis on the role of organized social groups in society, but simultane-
ously by a strong sense of commitment to the “common good” and to
rules and norms accepted across social divisions. A strong value is placed
on the free flow of information, and at the same time the state is seen
as having a positive obligation to promote that flow. There is, finally, a
culture of heavy consumption of information about public affairs. The
media culture is characterized by a surviving advocacy tradition that
sees the media as vehicles for expression of social groups and diverse
ideologies, and at the same time by a high level of commitment to com-
mon norms and procedures. State intervention in the media is extensive,
but a high value is placed on media autonomy. Political information
is relatively highly valued and is produced for dissemination to a mass
audience.
The Liberal Model is characterized by a more individualistic con-
ception of representation, in which the role of organized social groups
is emphasized less than in the other two systems and is often seen in

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