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Introduction:

One of the main things about media is if people in general have access to reliable information and also means for executing the freedom of speech. In this way everybody will have a fundament for participating in and options for influencing what goes on in society and what concerns their own situation and development. Do reliable media exist, and do people have access to eventual reliable media?&nbsp;

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One of the discussions about the media is if it is a business like every other business, and should be treated like this, or it is a kind of cultural institution that we should pay special attention to. A business is aiming at making profit for the owners. Some of the global private media are huge conglomerates and almost transnational companies; one example is Rupert Murdoch&acute;s media conglomerate. The aims of a cultural institution are, besides maybe money, also more explicit values in general whether they are political, ethical, scientific etc. If media is business, can we then rely on the content in their products? Can we rely on media based on political or maybe religious values? Are the media transparent in their media policies, and in how they influence the societies and their users?

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Public service media are, in different forms, performed to some extent in Europe, and their economy can be totally or partly based on tax money. Public service media have various commitments attached e.g. keep free of special interests, give a diversified information, obligation to address all users. Denmark as an example has two public service TV stations and two public service radio stations. They are very dominant in the landscape of media; so much that the commercial media protest and claim it is unfair competition, though the commercial media also benefit from public funding.

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When public service media is funded due to political decisions, it also implies that they to some extent have to live up to the political environment. The discussion here is if this introduces a kind of political self-censorship.

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In the past media were mainly on print, then came radio and television, and today we have many different platforms because of the development of the net. The net implies many more possibilities for people to distribute and get access to information, like through the so-called social media. This huge amount of varied information is not edited, the reliability can be questioned, but often it is costless for people. This is preferred by all the users, could be good for the freedom of speech, but is a problem for the private media businesses, which has a need for the money and the market. Is this development beneficial for transparent and reliable information?

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The development of the net has meant that that are many more distributors of information. Numerous bloggers and small private information/discussion websites, &ldquo;Twitter&acute;s&rdquo;, a we-are-all-journalists concept, compete with the big media conglomerates about the attention of the media public. It is difficult to see exactly how the media world will develop. The big media companies try to be present at all media platforms at the same time: net, print, TV etc. Is this competition a real competition, a real development? Is the net a new opportunity for people in general to exercise freedom of speech and get reliable information?&nbsp;&nbsp;

Directive:

The aim and the product of the task are related both to the title, the introduction and the directives.
 
Read the introduction and the related issues and make clear the overall aim. 
Relevant files are added. Use them as some to choose from. Use additional sources if you find it beneficial. The origin of additional sources must be noted for control. 
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The issues to work with: 
1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Investigate the ownership of the important media in Europe. Who are the big ones and where. Give examples. Note eventual differences between the different countries. 
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2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Study what the concept Public Service means in general and in different countries. Consider what this concept has/or could have of importance for a free media structure and the standard of the general information. How are these media financed, how are they monitored and how free are they? 
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3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Are the media a normal business like other businesses, or are they also cultural institutions of societal importance e.g. meaning that they should be economically supported by the state. Is this happening? 
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4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; How is the media landscape in countries with strong Public Service tradition and how is it in countries with no strong tradition for Public Service media. Give examples. Give examples also on the impact from private media, especially the big ones. 
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5.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; What circumstances favour a concentration of private media, some places building up huge media conglomerates? What favours these media giants, and what does it eventually have of consequences for information and education of the public? 
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6.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; What importance do the new technologies have on the traditional media landscape and what consequences will it possibly have &ndash; or have had. Give examples &ndash; for the media, for people in general. Will it have an impact on the ownership of the media, the concentration of ownership? 
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7.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; What could be the alternatives to the media conglomerates in order to secure access to free flow of information and public discussion? Give examples - and your own opinion. 
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8.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Make a map of Europe with the big media marked. Note the impact and size of the big media in the countries. Note the discussions going on about regulation or no regulation in the different countries and the most likely development. Write the arguments around the impact of big media, and if the new technologies can provide an alternative. 
 
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Read the files attached
 
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