Search
Open Society Foundations

The Media Program works closely with local foundations to implement policies and support local organizations. For more information, view the list of Media Program Coordinators.

image

Mapping Digital Media: United Kingdom

Date:
July 2011
Source:
Open Society Foundations
Author:
Des Freedman and Justin Schlosberg

The Mapping Digital Media project examines the global opportunities and risks created by the transition from traditional to digital media. Covering 60 countries, the project examines how these changes affect the core democratic service that any media system should provide: news about political, economic, and social affairs.

Research shows that near-universal digital media access in the United Kingdom has yielded broad benefits for citizenship and democracy. But key areas of concern have emerged that continue to pose threats to independence and diversity. These include sustained financial crises within regional and local media, public service broadcasting, and the press sector at large; acute sites of cross-media concentration; and persistent digital divides in terms of access to “quality” output.

This report calls on policymakers to consider new funding options and structures to safeguard the future of public-interest oriented news. It also argues for establishing a Media Commission to research and make recommendations on the future of the news media in the UK. 

back to the top of the page
Related Information

Mapping Digital Media: Mobile TV: Challenges and Opportunities Beyond 2011
June 2011
Given the success of smart phones and application stores, how will mobile affect the TV ecosystem?

Mapping Digital Media: Morocco
June 2011
While the diversity of Morocco's media are unprecedented in the Arab world, authorities continue to use legal and financial penalties to keep the most critical outlets in line.

Digital Media and the Future of Investigative Journalism
Mark Hunter
May 31, 2011
blog BLOG  
As new competitors for the public's attention emerge online, what will happen to investigative journalism?

Mapping Digital Media: Thailand
May 2011
The dawn of the digital age in Thailand has ushered in the most promising development in Thai media for more than a generation: the establishment of an independent public service broadcaster.

Mapping Digital Media: Mexico
May 2011
Mexico is one of the 15 largest economies worldwide, yet only 15 percent of households own a digital device and less than a third have a computer.

About  |  Initiatives  |  Grants, Scholarships & Fellowships  |  Resource Center  |  Newsroom  |  Site Map  |  Legal  |  Contact


Creative Commons License
Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative License.
©2011 Open Society Foundations. Some rights reserved.