Hallin and Mancini (2004) Revisited: Four Models of Western Media Systems

• In Event: Comparing Political Communication: Cross-National Perspectives

Abstract

The analysis of media systems has become a corner stone in the field of comparative communication research. Ten years after its publication, it is time to revisit the landmark study in the field, Hallin and Mancini’s “Comparing Media Systems” (2004), which has received a lot of praise but also some criticism. To the best of the authors’ knowledge the study at hand is the first to operationalize the framework for standardized measurement. It validates the original categories and models by means of a quantitative analysis and by using the same sample of Western countries. Three out of the four categories of media systems show high levels of consistency; but “role of the state” should be disaggregated into three dimensions. Building on this modified framework, a cluster analysis reveals four models of media systems that differentiate and extend the original typology.

Authors

• Michael Brueggemann, U of Zurich

• Sven Engesser, U of Zurich

• Edda Humprecht, U of Zurich

• Florin Buechel, U of Zurich

• Laia Castro Herrero, University of Fribourg