Journalism Culture and Media Accountability: Central and East European Perspective

• In Event: The Panel of the Polish Communication Association: 25 Years of Media Freedom and Democracy in Central and East Europe

Abstract

Media systems in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have experienced a lengthy process of development. In addition to social and political transformations in the late 1980s the introduction of online media and new technologies back in the 1990s caused additional set of changes, forcing media systems of Central and Eastern Europe to jump from one transformation to another. Thus, in addition to problems related to unfinished transformation which started in 1989, journalists and media professionals from a large number of CEE countries nowadays have to confront with the impact of convergence as well as development of new media platforms and players in the online space. In line with this, the editorial independence, requiring in particular the absence of political interference or pressure and a sufficient level of independence from the market, continues to be a priority but needs to be complemented by a wider discussion on the roles and journalistic principles in the new mediascape. This type of approach calls for the analysis of internal (organizational) factors and transformations of media organisations themselves as well as relations between media outlets and different media stakeholders.
This paper aims at analyzing the development and changes in journalism culture in selected Central and East European countries. The goal is to try to build a framework for the analysis of journalism culture and professionalization in the era of participatory and network practices. With a reference to several empirical studies results – including „Media Accountability and Transparency in Europe (MediaAcT)” and „Journalism in Change: Professional Journalistic Cultures in Russia, Poland and Sweden”, it aims at investigating changes in journalism culture from several perspectives. Firstly, attempts will be made to identify contextual factors (political, economic and public frame) responsible for the development of journalism culture in CEE countries. Secondly, the special emphasis will be put on the role of mechanisms, structures and practices supporting media accountability, responsibility, openness, transparency and responsiveness. To this end, the paper will pose questions on the role of media literacy as well as ways to improve the quality of journalism and the editorial processes when discussing challenges and the future of journalistic profession in Central and Eastern Europe today.

Authors

• Boguslawa Dobek-Ostrowska, U of Wroclaw

• Michal Glowacki, U of Warsaw