Communication Media In A Democratic Society

Abstract

Communication policy analysts often measure policy effectiveness against normative expectations of media industries such as providing a public sphere for democratic discussion, ensuring access for a diverse population or supplying news and entertainment to satisfy majority interests. Underlying these expectations are broader doctrines of democratic theory. This study examines the potential roles of media industries and technologies in the context of four different models of democracy: market liberalism, deliberative, communitarian and activist. From these models the author derives four distinct doctrines of media use in a democratic society: the market doctrine, the public sphere doctrine, the public improvement doctrine and the anti-establishment doctrine. The first two are well known in the literature of media policy and economics. The second two are sometimes implicit, but only occasionally identified. Implications and recommendations for policy makers for each doctrine are discussed.