Pluralism of the system, pluralism in the system

Abstract

This comparative study aims to better understand the natural link between democracy and media systems, a link that is, paradoxically, as strong as it is delicate. The research analyzes two cases, the UK and Italy, with the purpose of clarifying the different ways in which media pluralism can be pursued and achieved. The study reveals that although nearly all of the main European TV networks rely on a public–private structure, significant differences arise in how this structure takes shape and in the policy outcomes according to the context. Furthermore, by presenting a set of primary and secondary data, the author aims to demonstrate that although the objectives that various policies aim to achieve might be similar in advanced democracies, the nature of media diversity may be strongly affected by both contingent elements (such as the Berlusconi factor in Italy) and structural factors (such as the media-system model of each country).