Central
European University A Program
for University Teachers, Advanced Ph.D. Students, Researchers and Professionals
in the Social Sciences and Humanities Summer University
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Central
European University A Program
for University Teachers, Advanced Ph.D. Students, Researchers and Professionals
in the Social Sciences and Humanities Summer University |
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30 June - 18 July, 1997
Resource Persons: András
Bozóki (CEU)
Statement of Purpose
In Western liberal democracies, the media were traditionally viewed as the watchdog of government that warn against misuses of power and help to assure the survival of state of law and constitutionalism. However, many contemporary analysts point out that extreme deregulation of sensationalist commercial media actually threaten meaningful public discourse. Others urge a new definition for public broadcasting and suggest that interactive computer networks offer new perspectives for democratic communication. In East and Central Europe, the
media played important roles in the transitions to democracy during 1989-90.
However, several forms of authoritarian media policies keep blocking consolidation
of democracy during the 1990s. Many political scientists, media scholars
and journalists warn that presidents, governments and even municipal executives
limit media freedom in several countries of the region. Loopholes in media
regulation, state-controlled media privatization and frequency distribution
as well as governmental interference with the public service media results
in biased political communication, including election campaigns. However,
other countries seem rather successful in developing pluralist media systems.
The challenge of the democratic legal norms of the European Union and of
new communication technologies add to the complexities of political communication
in the region.
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