Hanson, Mass Communication 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
Lecture Notes
Chapter 11: Global Media: Communication Around the World
Learning Objectives
1-1 Explain why the authors of Four Theories of the Press believed that the nature of the press
depends on the political and social structures of the society it serves
1-2 Describe how the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) got its start and what role it played
during World War II
1-4 Explain the effects the Arab Spring had on the safety of journalists and media coverage in
the Middle East
1-6 Describe who controls the media in Russia and how they do so
1-7 Identify a type of media censorship that is used for each of the following three countries:
India, China, and Japan
Annotated Chapter Outline
I. Media Ideals Around the World
A. Fred S. Siebert, Theodore Peterson, and Wilbur Schramm
i. Outlined major forms of the press
ii. Critique set during a particular time period
iii. May be outdated
B. Authoritarian Theory
i. Authoritarian theory: the role of the press is to be a servant of the government,
not a servant of the citizenry
ii. Roots in royal control of societies and the printing press
iii. Seen in countries that are developing mass media and most totalitarian states
iv. Means of authoritarian control
a. Giving permits to only certain printers
b. Prosecuting anyone who violates generally accepted standards for the
press
v. Nerone’s major critique: description of government control instead of philosophy
of press behavior
C. Communist Theory
i. Communist theory: the press is run by the government to serve the
government’s own needs
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ii. Principles
a. The media are an instrument of the government and the Communist
iii. E.g. Vietnam
iv. Soviet media during glasnost
D. Libertarian Theory
i. Libertarian theory: the press does not belong to the government but is instead a
separate institution that belongs to the people and serves as an independent
observer of the government
ii. Views people as moral beings who can tell the difference between truthfulness
and falsity
a. Marketplace of ideas
iii. Principles
a. People want to know the truth and be guided by it
iv. Major functions of the press: inform, entertain, and advertise
v. Key problem: assumes the primary threat to freedom of speech and
communication comes from the government rather than the marketplace
a. Impact of advertising and profits
vi. Press in the U.S.
a. Journalist coverage of protests
E. Social Responsibility Theory
i. Social responsibility theory: based on the concern that, although it may be free
from interference by the government, the press can still be controlled by
corporate interests
ii. High level of concentrated power in media
a. Requires socially responsible coverage of all sides of controversial issues
and provision of needed information to make considered choices
iii. Obligated to serve several functions
a. Provide the news and information needed to make the political system
Hanson, Mass Communication 8e
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d. Serve the economic function of bringing together buyers and sellers
iv. Examples: France, Israel, and Sweden
F. Norms for the Press in the Twenty-First Century
i. Development theory: addresses the special needs of emerging nations, whose
governments may feel that they need to restrict freedom of the press in order to
promote industry, national identity, and partnerships with neighboring nations
ii. E.g. Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez
G. Going Global: Media Standards Around the World
i. Presumption that a direct connection exists between a country’s media system
and its political system
a. That is, a free press is essential for a functional democracy
ii. Five dimensions to rate media
a. Control
b. Finance
H. Are We Really Living in a Media World?
i. Global village concept
ii. Multiple global villages that are each unique
II. Media in Canada, Western Europe, and Great Britain
A. Liberal democracies that have free speech and media that are relatively free to criticize
their governments
B. Regulations in the EU
i. Strong controls and guidelines on the amounts and placement of advertisements
C. Canadian press
i. Patterned on the U.S. model but modified by the desire to preserve Canadian
culture
ii. Strong regional media
D. Top five countries in the 2020 World Press Freedom Index
E. BBC: best-known non-U.S. broadcaster
i. Radio service during WWII
ii. Focus on Africa
iii. Operates on a public service model
F. Western Europe
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G. Charlie Hebdo, the Danish Cartoons, and Terrorism
i. January 15, 2015: attack on Charlie Hebdo
ii. Depictions of Prophet Muhammad in Jyllands-Posten
a. Reaction
b. Protests
H. Privacy Law in Europe
i. Death of Princess Diana
ii. Strict privacy laws in France
iii. Human Rights Act of Britain in 2000
iv. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
a. Companies be clear about how their customers’ data are being handled.
They also must have permission before they can use it
v. France fining of Google for GDPR violation
vi. See Figure 11.1
vii. European “Right to Be Forgotten” Laws
a. Right to purge search engine results they consider to be out of date or
irrelevant
b. Requires that Google and other search providers present the edited
III. Media in Central and Latin America
A. Dominated by North American, Mexican, and Brazilian programming
B. Follows American for-profit model
C. Growth of media industry
i. Growing newspaper circulation
ii. Threats of violence for journalists
a. Death of Javier Valdez
IV. Media in Islamic Countries and the Middle East
A. Between social responsibility and authoritarian media control
B. Syria
C. Iran
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i. Arrest of Jason Rezaian
ii. Treatment of other journalists
D. Three types of press in the Arab world
i. Mobilized press
E. The Importance of “Small” Media
i. Small media: fax machines, photocopy machines, and video cameras, along with
computers, blogs, and mobile social media
a. Crucial to alternative independent media
ii. Arab Spring protests and revolutions of 2011
iii. Increased use of mobile phone-based social media for breaking news in the
future
F. Old and New Media in the Islamic World
i. Heavily controlled by the government
a. Challenged by satellite broadcasting and mobile technology
ii. “Media Use in the Middle East” study
a. See Figure 11.2
iii. Online media is mobile media
iv. Egypt
v. Media in Saudi Arabia
G. Al Jazeera
i. Most significant advertising-supported channel
ii. Presents an Arab point of view
iii. Top source of international news in the Arab Middle East
V. Media in Africa
A. Mass media from European colonial powers
B. Newspaper circulation
C. Radio as most important medium
D. Wide range of press freedom
E. Issue of language for African media
i. Use of former colonial language
ii. Excludes the majority of the people
F. Exceptionally culturally diverse
G. South Africa
i. Best-developed radio system in sub-Saharan Africa
ii. Regulations
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iii. Broadcasts in seven languages
iv. Has protections for press freedom
VI. Media in Russia and the Former Soviet Republics
A. Slow development of media
i. Vast scale of empire
B. Use of alternative media
C. High levels of censorship in the Russian press
i. Control from Vladimir Putin
D. Involvement in influencing elections in Western nations
VII. Media in Asia
A. Mostly government controlled media or media run by public corporations
i. Generally work to support goals of government
B. India
i. Large newspaper business
C. China
i. In the past, proudly political and propagandistic
ii. Rapid changes in the past thirty years
iii. Largest television market since 2010
iv. Expansion of newspapers
v. Mobile media
D. Japan
i. Technological heart of modern media world
ii. Producer of essential electronic media devices
iii. Television broadcasting
iv. Restrictions from nationalist groups and influence of tradition and business
interests
v. Popularity of manga