Rethinking Media Pluralism (Donald McGannon Communication Research Center's Everett C. Parker Book Series)

Access to a broad range of different political views and cultural expressions is often regarded as a self-evident value in both theoretical and political debates on media and democracy. Pluralism is commonly accepted as a guiding principle of media policy in addressing media concentration, the role of public service media, or more recently such questions as how to respond to search engines, social networking sites, and citizen media. However, opinions on the meaning and nature of media pluralism as a concept vary widely, and definitions of it can easily be adjusted to suit different political purposes. Rethinking Media Pluralism contends that the notions of media pluralism and diversity have been reduced to empty catchphrases or conflated with consumer choice and market competition. In this narrow logic, key questions about social and political values, democracy, and citizenship are left unexamined. In this provocative new book, Kari Karppinen argues that media pluralism needs to be rescued from its depoliticized uses and re-imagined more broadly as a normative value that refers to the distribution of communicative power in the public sphere. Instead of something that could simply be measured through the number of media outlets available, media pluralism should be understood in terms of its ability to challenge inequalities and create a more democratic public sphere. Contends That The Notions Of Media Pluralism And Diversity Have Been Reduced To Empty Catchphrases Or Conflated With Consumer Choice And Market Competition. Introduction -- Theorizing Pluralism And The Public Sphere. Three Models Of Democratic Pluralism -- Pluralization And Its Problems -- Toward A Critical Concept Of Media Pluralism -- The Politics Of Media Pluralism. Aspects And Scope Of Media Pluralism -- Paradoxes Of Communicative Abundance -- Uses Of Pluralism In Contemporary Media Policy -- Empirical Indicators And The Politics Of Criteria -- Conclusion. Kari Karppinen. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Karppinen argues that media pluralism needs to be rescued from its depoliticised uses and re-imagined more broadly as a normative value that refers to the distribution of communicative power in the public sphere. He notes that access to a broad range of different political views and cultural expressions is often regarded as a self-evident value in both theoretical and political debates on media and democracy. While this pluralism is commonly accepted as a guiding principle of media policy, the book argues that opinions on the meaning and nature of media pluralism vary widely Jamaican dancehall has long been one of the most vital and influential cultural and artistic forces within contemporary global music. This title presents a comprehensive view of this musical and cultural phenomenon: its growth and historical role within Jamaican society, its economy of star making, and its technology of production. The book examines different ways in which the concepts of media pluralism and diversity have been theorized and used in media policy debates. Its basic argument is that media pluralism should be understood as a broad normative value that refers to the distribution of communicative power in the public sphere. Dancehall - from the urban ghettos of Kingston to the rural districts of the countryside - is the most potent form of popular culture in Jamaica.