Conclusion: Towards Media Freedom and Independence

Abstract

Contemporary media and the policies that govern them are in a state of flux. This research-based collective study has identified key trends and concerns relating to the reconfiguration of state media policies under the impact of technological evolution and pressures from the global economy. In doing so, it has sought to assess the success or failure of media policies, as framed and applied, to promote free speech and independent media behaviour, offering insights into the variety of constraints affecting the media’s operation. These derive from the world of politics, the market, economic and technological factors but also regulatory failings and deficient compliance with fundamental rights and freedoms. Although their exact type and intensity unsurprisingly differ from country to country, their multifarious nature renders policy design and conduct in support of free speech and the media’s independent performance a highly complicated venture. In what follows key findings of the research carried out are highlighted, while the analysis is expanded with reflections on the governance model and the policy interventions that can help promote free and independent media.