Public Service Broadcasting and Media Systems in Troubled European Democracies

Eva Polonska is a Research Fellow at the Department of Media and Communications, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.

Charlie Beckett is the founding director of POLIS, UK, the think-tank for research and debate in international journalism and society. He was a programme editor at ITN's Channel 4 News and a senior producer and programme editor at BBC News and Current affairs for ten years.

This book provides the most recent overview of media systems in Europe. It explores new political, economic and technological environments and the challenges they pose to democracies and informed citizens. It also examines the new illiberal environment that has quickly embraced certain European states and its impact on media systems, considering the sources and possible consequences of these challenges for media industries and media professionals.

Part I examines the evolving role of public service media in a comparative study of Western, Southern and Central Europe, whilst Part II ventures into Europe's periphery, where media continues to be utilised by the state in its quest for power. The book also provides an insight into the role of the European Union in preserving the independence and neutrality of public service media. It will be useful to students and researchers of political communication and international and comparative media, as well as democracy and populism.

Chapter 1 PSM Contribution to Democracy: News, Editorial Standards and Informed Citizenship.- Chapter 2 The European Union and PSM in troubled democracies: a bridge too far?.- Chapter 3 Public Service Media in France.- Chapter 4 Public service media in a divided country: Governance and functioning of public broadcasters in Belgium.- Chapter 5 PSB in Italy: Troubled RAI in a troubled country.- Chapter 6 Greek ERT: State or Public Service Broadcaster?.- Chapter 7 Political intereference in the Spanish and Catalan Public Service Media: Attempts to reform and resistance to change (2006-2017).- Chapter 8 PSB transformation in Western Balan countries: When Western ideals meet reality.- Chapter 9 A Map of Political Discourse regarding Polish Public Service Media.- Chapter 10 Watchdog, lapdog, or attack dog? Public Service Media and the Law and Justice government in Poland.- Chapter 11 How the media systems work in Central and Eastern Europe.- Chapter 12 Media in Hungary: Three pillars of an illiberal democracy.- Chapter 13 Post-communist media and the impact of democratisation in Bulgaria and Romania.- Chapter 14 Transformation of media in 'in-between' post-communist societies: an interdisciplinary approach.- Chapter 15 Post-Truth and Normalised Lies in Russia.- Chapter 16 Power, Patronage and Press Freedom: the political economy of Turkey's media.