Page 92 - Comparing Media Systems THREE MODELS OF MEDIA AND POLITICS

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Concepts and Models

Southern European countries, and which in turn is rooted in delayed de-
velopment of liberal institutions. The delayed development of liberalism
is connected with a strong role of the state in society (often in an au-
thoritarian form), a strong role of political parties once the transition
to democracy is achieved, a continuing importance of clientelism, and
a weaker development of rational-legal authority. Under this model we
will discuss France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. France is an ex-
ception in important ways, characterized by polarized pluralism and
a strong role of the state, certainly, and by a history of strong politi-
cal parallelism in the media, but also by stronger industrialization and
stronger development of the mass-circulation press and of rational-legal
authority.
The North/Central European or Democratic Corporatist Model is
characterized by early development of press freedom and the newspaper
industry, and very high newspaper circulation. It is also characterized by
a history of strong party newspapers, and other media connected to or-
ganized social groups. This political press coexisted with the commercial
press through much of the twentieth century, though by the 1970s it was
fading.Politicalparallelismishistoricallyhighand,thoughitisdiminish-
ing,amoderatedegreeofexternalpluralismandalegacyofcommentary-
oriented journalism persists, mixed with a growing emphasis on neutral
professionalism and information-oriented journalism. Journalistic pro-
fessionalismishigh,andmarkedbyahighdegreeofformalorganization.
Media are seen to a significant extent as social institutions for which the
state has responsibility, and press freedom coexists with relatively strong
state support for and regulation of media. Public broadcasting systems
tend to follow the parliamentary or civic/corporatist model with par-
ties and organized social groups involved in broadcast governance, but
professional autonomy in broadcasting is also normally high. It is im-
portant to note that a number of sets of media system characteristics that
are often assumed to be incompatible have historically coexisted in the
Democratic Corporatist countries. Strong commercial media industries
have coexisted with politically linked media and a high degree of politi-
cal parallelism; high political parallelism has also coexisted with a high
degree of journalistic professionalization; and a strong liberal tradition
of press freedom and freedom of information has coexisted with strong
state intervention in the media sector as in other sectors of society.
Liberal institutions generally developed early in the Democratic
Corporatist countries. These countries also tended to have strongly

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