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“In response to growing criticism and less trust in media and journalism, ‘media accountability’ has moved from being a theoretical concept to a practical approach all over Europe. This impres- sive handbook offers the first comprehensive comparison of media accountability practices in all European Union countries, and presents a prototype of a European Media Accountability Index.” – Jo Bardoel, Professor Emeritus of Journalism and Media, University of Amsterdam and Nijmegen, the Netherlands. “This authoritative handbook provides a 33-nation assessment of media accountability in and around Europe. Offering scholarly and professional insight, the results of this comparative inquiry are especially timely as political and technological developments pose new challenges to a free and responsible press.” – Scott R. Maier, Journalism Director, University of Oregon, USA. “It is a milestone achievement to compile 33 country reports on a comparative basis with a shared focus covering media accountability offline and online. But this is more than an inven- tory: it proposes a European Media Accountability Index – something that will hopefully become a standard reference next to those of media freedom. An excellent source for promoting media culture in Europe and beyond!” – Kaarle Nordenstreng, University of Tampere, Finland. This page intentionally left blank The european handbook of Media accounTabiliTy In recent years, the Leveson Inquiry in Great Britain, as well as the EU High-Level Group on Media Freedom and Pluralism, have stirred heated debates about media accountability and media self-regulation across Europe. How responsible are journalists? How well-developed are infrastructures of media self-regulation in the different European countries? How much com- mitment to media accountability is there in the media industry – and how actively do media users become involved in the process of media criticism via social media? With contributions from leading scholars in the field of journalism and mass communication, this handbook brings together reports on the status quo of media accountability in all EU member states as well as key countries close to Europe, such as Turkey and Israel. Each chapter provides an up-to-date overview of media accountability structures as well as a synopsis of rel- evant research, exploring the role of media accountability instruments in each national setting, including both media self-regulation (such as codes of ethics, press councils, ombudspersons) and new instruments that involve audiences and stakeholder groups (such as media blogs and user comment systems). A theoretically informed, cross-national comparative analysis of the state of media accountability in contemporary Europe, this handbook constitutes an invaluable basis for further research and policy-making and will appeal to students and scholars of media studies and journalism, as well as policy-makers and practitioners. Tobias Eberwein is a Senior Scientist at the Institute for Comparative Media and Communication Studies of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austria, and the Alpen-Adria- Universität Klagenfurt, Austria. Susanne Fengler is a Professor of International Journalism and Director of the Erich Brost Institute for International Journalism at TU Dortmund University, Germany. Matthias Karmasin is a Professor at the Department of Media and Communications, Alpen- Adria-Universität Klagenfurt, Austria, and Director of the Institute for Comparative Media and Communication Studies at the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt, Austria. This page intentionally left blank The european handbook of Media accounTabiliTy Edited by Tobias Eberwein, Susanne Fengler & Matthias Karmasin First published 2018 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2018 selection and editorial matter, Tobias Eberwein, Susanne Fengler & Matthias Karmasin; individual chapters, the contributors The right of Tobias Eberwein, Susanne Fengler & Matthias Karmasin to be identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Names: Eberwein, Tobias, editor of compilation. | Fengler, Susanne, 1971- editor of compilation. | Karmasin, Matthias, editor of compilation. Title: The European handbook of media accountability / edited by Tobias Eberwein, Susanne Fengler & Matthias Karmasin. Description: Abingdon, Oxon; New York: Routledge, 2017. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2016058692 | ISBN 9781472457660 (hardback) | ISBN 9781315616353 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Mass media–Moral and ethical aspects–Europe. | Journalistic ethics–Europe. | Mass media and public opinion–Europe. | Mass media–Political aspects–Europe. Classification: LCC P94 .E94 2017 | DDC 174/.907--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016058692 ISBN: 978-1-4724-5766-0 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-61635-3 (ebk) Typeset in Bembo by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India Contents List of illustrations x Notes on contributors xi 1 Introduction: Putting media accountability on the map 1 Tobias Eberwein, Susanne Fengler and Matthias Karmasin 2 Austria: Back on the democratic corporatist road? 7 Matthias Karmasin, Klaus Bichler and Andy Kaltenbrunner 3 Belgium: Divided along language lines 14 Karin Raeymaeckers and François Heinderyckx 4 Bulgaria: Regaining media freedom 24 Bissera Zankova and Michał Głowacki 5 Croatia: Unfulfilled expectations 31 Stjepan Malović 6 Cyprus: Behind closed (journalistic) doors 39 Dimitra L. Milioni, Lia-Paschalia Spyridou and Michalis Koumis 7 Czech Republic: The market governs 47 Tomáš Trampota 8 Denmark: Voluntary accountability driven by political pressure 54 Mark Blach-Ørsten, Jannie Møller Hartley and Sofie Flensburg 9 Estonia: Conflicting views on accountability practices 63 Urmas Loit, Epp Lauk and Halliki Harro-Loit vii Contents 10 Finland: The empire renewing itself 73 Jari Väliverronen and Heikki Heikkilä 11 France: Media accountability as an abstract idea? 80 Olivier Baisnée, Ludivine Balland and Sandra Vera Zambrano 12 Germany: Disregarded diversity 90 Tobias Eberwein, Susanne Fengler, Mariella Bastian and Janis Brinkmann 13 Greece: Between systemic inefficiencies and nascent opportunities online 99 Evangelia Psychogiopoulou and Anna Kandyla 14 Hungary: Difficult legacy, slow transformation 107 Agnes Urban 15 Ireland: Moving from courts to institutions of accountability 115 Roderick Flynn 16 Israel: Media in political handcuffs 128 Noam Lemelshtrich Latar 17 Italy: Transparency as an inspiration 137 Sergio Splendore 18 Latvia: Different journalistic cultures and different accountability within one media system 143 Ainars Dimants 19 Lithuania: The ideology of liberalism and its flaws in the democratic performance of the media 150 Kristina Juraitė, Auksė Balčytienė and Audronė Nugaraitė 20 Luxembourg: Low priority in a confined milieu 160 Mario Hirsch 21 Malta: Media accountability as a two-legged ‘tripod’ 163 Joseph Borg and Mary Anne Lauri 22 The Netherlands: From awareness to realization 170 Harmen Groenhart and Huub Evers 23 Norway: Journalistic power limits media accountability 180 Paul Bjerke viii Contents 24 Poland: Accountability in the making 190 Bogusława Dobek-Ostrowska, Michał Głowacki and Michał Kuś 25 Portugal: Many structures, little accountability 197 Nuno Moutinho, Helena Lima, Suzana Cavaco and Ana Isabel Reis 26 Romania: Unexpected pressures for accountability 207 Mihai Coman, Daniela-Aurelia Popa and Raluca-Nicoleta Radu 27 Russia: Media accountability to the public or the state? 216 Elena Vartanova and Maria Lukina 28 Slovakia: Conditional success of ethical regulation via online instruments 225 Andrej Školkay 29 Slovenia: The paper tiger of media accountability 235 Igor Vobič, Aleksander Sašo Slaček Brlek and Boris Mance 30 Spain: New formats and old crises 243 Salvador Alsius, Ruth Rodriguez-Martinez and Marcel Mauri de los Rios 31 Sweden: A long history of media accountability adaption 251 Torbjörn von Krogh 32 Switzerland: A role model with glitches 259 Colin Porlezza 33 Turkey: Sacrificing credibility for economic expediency and partisanship 268 Ceren Sözeri 34 United Kingdom: Post-Leveson, media accountability is all over the place 277 Mike Jempson, Wayne Powell and Sally Reardon 35 Summary: Measuring media accountability in Europe – and beyond 285 Tobias Eberwein, Susanne Fengler, Katja Kaufmann, Janis Brinkmann and Matthias Karmasin References 301 Index 337 ix