Media Accountability in the Era of Post-Truth Politics European Challenges and Perspectives

Bringing together both leading international scholars and emerging academic talent, Media Accountability in the Era of Post-Truth Politics maps the current state of media accountability in Europe and provides fresh perspectives for future developments in media and communication fields. As the integrity of the international media landscape is challenged by far-reaching transformations and the rise of “fake news,” the need for a functional system of media regulation is greater than ever. This book addresses the pressing need to re-evaluate and redefine the notion of accountability in the fast-changing field of journalism and “information provision.” Using comparative research and empirical data, the book’s case studies address the notion of media accountability from various perspectives, considering political and societal change, economic, organisational and technological factors, and the changing role of media audiences. By collecting and juxtaposing these studies, the book provides a new discussion for the old question of how we can safeguard free and responsible media in Europe – a question that seems more urgent than ever. Media Accountability in the Era of Post-Truth Politics is an essential read for students and researchers in journalism, media and communication studies.

Part I: Concepts and classifications of media accountability 1 Theory and practice of media accountability in Europe: an introductory overview Tobias Eberwein, Susanne Fengler & Matthias Karmasin 2 European models of journalism regulation: a comparative classification João Miranda & Carlos Camponez 3 The circular impact model: conceptualizing media accountability Caroline Lindekamp Part II: Political and societal challenges 4 Media accountability in the era of fake news: journalistic boundary work and its problems in Finland Heikki Heikkilä & Jari Väliverronen 5 Media accountability instruments concerning immigration and the polarisation of trust in journalism in Sweden Torbjörn von Krogh & Göran Svensson 6 Press repeat: media self-regulation in the United Kingdom after Leveson Gordon Ramsay & Martin Moore 7 Media accountability meets media polarisation: a case study from Poland Michal Glowacki & Michal Kus Part III: Economic and organisational challenges 8 Selling short media accountability? The importance of addressing market-driven claims on media freedom Andrew T. Kenyon, Eva-Maria Svensson & Maria Edström 9 Public value and shared value through the delivery of accountability Kaisa Sorsa 10 Strengthening media accountability through regulated self-regulation: the Swiss model Mirco Saner & Vinzenz Wyss 11 Accountability and corporate social responsibility in the media industry: a topic of relevance? Isabell Koinig, Sandra Diehl, Franzisca Weder & Matthias Karmasin Part IV: Technological challenges 12 Involvement of private and civil society actors in media regulation processes: a comparison of all European Union member states Dirk Arnold 13 Emerging structures of control for algorithms on the Internet: distributed agency – distributed accountability Florian Saurwein 14 Ensuring accountability and transparency in networked journalism: a critical analysis of collaborations between whistle-blowing platforms and investigative journalism Colin Porlezza & Philip Di Salvo Part V: Perspectives: rethinking the role of the audience 15 Complaints handling mechanisms and online accountability in Western European PSB Dolors Palau-Sampio 16 A wheelbarrow full of frogs: how media organisations in the Netherlands are dealing with online public complaints Yael de Haan 17 The battle over the living room: constructing an accountable popular culture Efrat Daskal 18 Examining media accountability in online media and the role of active audiences: the case of Spain Jose A. García-Avilés 19 Media criticism in an African journalistic culture: an inventory of media accountability practices in Kenya David Cheruiyot

Tobias Eberwein, Senior Scientist and Research Group Leader at the Institute for Comparative Media and Communication Studies of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, and the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt. Susanne Fengler, Professor for International Journalism at the Institute of Journalism, and Director of the Erich Brost Institute for International Journalism, TU Dortmund University. Matthias Karmasin, Professor at the Department of Media and Communications, Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt, and Director of the Institute for Comparative Media and Communication Studies at the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt.