Journalists and Media Accountability

Media accountability is back on the political agenda. Debates about the phone-hacking scandal at Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World have shown that the need for free and responsible journalism is more pressing than ever. Opinions, however, differ on the measures that need to be taken. Do existing structures of media accountability – such as press councils, codes of ethics, and ombudspersons – suffice, or do we urgently need new instruments and initiatives in today’s converging media world? These questions were tackled in an international survey of 1,800 journalists in twelve European and two Arab states conducted by the EU-funded research project, «Media Accountability and Transparency in Europe» (MediaAcT). The results provide a solid empirical basis for the discussions taking place. This book advances research on media accountability and transparency, and also offers innovative perspectives for newsrooms, media policy-makers, and journalism educators. Its systematic comparative design makes it an unprecedented venture in international journalism studies.

Susanne Fengler (PhD, Free University Berlin) is professor of international journalism at TU Dortmund University and director of the Erich Brost Institute for International Journalism. She is the director of the MediaAcT project. Tobias Eberwein (PhD, TU Dortmund University) is visiting professor at TU Dortmund University and acting academic director of the Erich Brost Institute for International Journalism. He is the scientific coordinator of the MediaAcT project. Gianpietro Mazzoleni (PhD, University of Rome-La Sapienza) is full professor of political communication at the Università degli Studi di Milano. Colin Porlezza (PhD, Università della Svizzera italiana) is lecturer at the Department of Journalism at City University London. Stephan Russ-Mohl (PhD, University of Konstanz) is professor of journalism and media management at the Università della Svizzera italiana and director of the Lugano-based branch of the European Journalism Observatory.