Global Media and Communication Policy

Globalization drives the dissemination and adoption of new forms of media. Internet access is becoming more common, indeed, more essential, to everyday life across the world, in both developing and developed nations. Global media policy, however, struggles to keep up with the ever-evolving technological advances. This book will feature articles discussing some of the challenges in implementing policies to govern global media and communications, and it will feature articles that attempt to provide some solutions to those issues. Some tools and technologies that facilitate positive governance will be presented. There will be a focus on the special needs of developing countries, their vulnerability when it comes to enabling increased access, and how positive global media governance can facilitate that. Government involvement in this process, throughout the world, is crucial, as is maintaining transparency between policy-makers and users. But of equal importance is the public’s own participation in shaping policy. This book will also cover how the media itself shapes policy-making across a wide subject of issues, including public health.

We begin by outlining the need for implementing policies to govern global media is “Toward a Humanistic Conception of Cyberspace.” The tension between regulation and technology will be explored in “Telecommunication Policy,” a review of current policy with regards to the Communications Act Update. While the Internet can be a great equalizer of men and nations, there will always be haves and have nots. “The Disempowering Goverati” argues that an e-aristocracy has formed with the advent of new media and communications technologies, and it offers the case of the operation of capitalism and politics in and on democracy as an example. Does the media have a responsibility to incorporate cultural diversity, to eliminate this disparity between the Goverati and others? To encourage the participation and coverage of those “have nots”? “Cultural Diversity as a Concept of Global Law” argues that the media should play a part in global policy-making. While international aid has been instrumental in improving the quality of life in the “Global South,” facilitating access to media has lagged behind. “From the Field” asks whether that matters - how important is media to development? Should access be a global policy priority? “Media and Public Communications Policies” identifies that newspapers selectively choose what to...