ABSTRACT
From 1945 to 1990, the Lithuanian mass media served the Soviet totalitarian regime and its propaganda. Fundamental changes were possible after the restoration of the independent state of Lithuania, followed by the abolition of censorship and the introduction of media freedom and pluralism guaranteed by the new media policy and professional standards. The democratization of the media system was launched in the early 1990s, when a liberal legislative framework was introduced along with professional standards following the Western democratic media model, and most similar to the Swedish media regulation framework. Despite the institutional reforms and the new liberal media regulation framework, the media continued to struggle with flaws in the development of a professional culture. Still, changes in media policy, the media landscape in general and demand for media outputs provide new opportunities for constructive dialogue and solidarity in the journalists’ community, as well as citizens’ engagement in media monitoring activities.
