ABSTRACT
Media accountability in these Anglo-Saxon countries operates within the context of a liberal press system, which Hallin and Mancini identify with high levels of journalistic professionalism, mostly market-dominated media, and a general reliance on self-regulation. Yet, the context for media accountability in these Anglo-Saxon countries is uniform. The news media in all five of these Anglo-Saxon countries exposed as they have been to the marketplace find themselves in a weakened financial position. Economic problems, driven by digitalization and consolidation and then complicated by a pandemic, have undercut resources for traditional, formal media accountability mechanisms. At the same time, news media can point to audiences' uses of social media as a replacement for traditional accountability mechanisms. The news media in all five of these Anglo-Saxon countries – exposed as they have been to the marketplace – find themselves in a weakened financial position.
