ABSTRACT
Histories of the printed press and occupational myths tend to emphasise that journalists in most European countries have long been concerned about interferences from political authorities in the editorial sphere. But over time, other sources of potential influence, including advertising, commercial pressures, competition and other economic pressures became matters of concern. As news evolved to become a big business, news desks have had to cope with different forms of political and economic influences, ranging from soft pressures to strict censorship. On the whole, journalistic practices have been strongly marked by national
historical situations and values linked to the particular context in which media were built and to the balance of power with political authorities. European democracies and Eastern regimes produced many national journalistic traditions and models, reflecting differing forms and degrees of media independence and editorial freedom. If this era is not totally over, a period characterised by the logics of globali-
sation has opened up since the 1980s with the advent of neo-liberal regulation policies along with the end of state broadcasting monopolies, the decline of PSB models, the increasing role of advertisers, the exponential development of commercial audiovisual channels and, of course, the Internet. Even if political attempts to interfere with newsmaking activities have not disappeared, new factors linked to the capitalistic reorganisation of media have a more subtle and wider impact on journalistic practices, values and work. Among those factors, we can point out the structures of ownership and the forces of market, assuming they may influence journalism or even editorial content, especially when newsworkers have to report on sensitive issues. This chapter will assess how journalists perceive the role of broader political
economy and social factors in shaping their work and newsmaking practices. Two key research questions are considered here: first, the influence of the structures of ownership and market forces, and second, the way journalists deal with controversial issues.
