ABSTRACT
The principal democratic role of the media, according to liberal theory, is to act as a check on the state. The media should monitor the full range of state activity, and fearlessly expose abuses of official authority. This watchdog role is said to override in importance all other functions of the media. It dictates the form in which the media system should be organized. The traditional public watchdog definition of the media thus legitimates the case for broadcasting reform, and strengthens the defence of a free market press. While the watchdog role of the media is important, it is perhaps quixotic to argue that it should be paramount. If private media are subject to compromising constraint, so too of course are public media. A democratic media system needs to have a well-developed, specialist media tier, serving differentiated audiences, which enables different social groups to debate issues of social identity, group interest, political strategy and normative understanding on their own terms.
