ABSTRACT
The development of post-war media in Italy has contributed to the promotion of democratic values, ideas and processes (Hibberd 2004; Monteleone 2003; Scannell 1989). Broadcasting, in particular, has functioned as one form of public sphere safeguarding fundamental principles including freedom of speech and expression and promoting new forms of dialogue. In recent decades there has been a distinct shift in government policy across Europe – a gradual move away from the traditional public service broadcasting regulatory model in favour of policies that encourage a more market-driven broadcasting industry; a shift in approach that may be seen as a strategic response to ideological and technological changes that are opening up the television broadcasting industry globally (Doyle and Hibberd 2003). One of the key features of this shift is the high degree of cross-media ownership present in many countries, provoking intense policy and public debates about how best to safeguard pluralism and freedom of expression in the multi-media environment.
