Journalism is more than a market product, says OSCE media watchdog in new study on media concentration in Europe

VIENNA, 18 December 2003 - Media concentration and foreign media ownership might turn out to be a structural obstacle for free and pluralistic media, according to the OSCE's Representative on Freedom of the Media, Freimut Duve.

"However," he added, "foreign investment in media might also help to stabilize the financial situation of journalistic media, thus giving more room for editorial independence and investigative journalism, as long as the editorial independence of the local journalists is guaranteed."

Mr Duve was presenting a book entitled, 'The Impact of Media Concentration on Professional Journalism' to the OSCE's main regular decision-making body, the 55-State Permanent Council, which convened in Vienna today.

The study takes an in-depth look at the print media landscape in eight selected OSCE participating States (Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and the United Kingdom) and deals with the trend towards concentration within the daily newspaper markets and the impact on professional journalism in these particular countries.

It is divided into two parts: for the first, statistical material on the countries was collected and in-country interviews were conducted; for the second, questionnaires were distributed via the Internet to daily newspaper journalists and were returned under condition of anonymity.

"The constitutional value of journalistic media goes far beyond financial interest of individuals or companies [but] the danger is that media houses regard newspapers as just another market product," said the Representative.

For the online version of the book, follow the accompanying link. For additional information and an easy way to order hard copies, see the Representative's homepage.