Sociologists have to reflect constantly on the nature of the ‘news’. Who owns and controls media outlets and how is this power used? Who has the capacity to ‘frame’ the news? What is the role of journalists? What sorts of agendas and interest groups dominate? This is even before we ask questions about how the news is interpreted by us, the consumers.
Assessing press freedom in international comparisons is an even more complex matter. After all, one reporter’s ‘freedom’ in a particular national context may be someone else’s constraint.
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