Eileen Culloty and Jane Suiter have a chapter in the Routledge Handbook of Illiberalism edited by András Sajó, Renáta Uitz, Stephen Holmes.
The chapter, Media Control and Post-Truth Communication, examines the erosion of media freedom and new forms of media capture and media control: The erosion of media freedom is a growing phenomenon. Worldwide, journalists face obstruction, hostility and violence as powerful political and private actors exercise a repressive influence on the media system. Citing historical and contemporary cases from different geographic regions, this chapter reviews the relationship between media freedom and political systems and the circumstances that lead governments to exercise control over the media. It examines how structural shifts in the digital media environment in conjunction with the resurgence of authoritarian governments and the emergence of post-truth communication have rendered news media vulnerable to capture and control. The chapter discusses major mechanisms for media control including ownership structures, financial and regulatory pressures, and the harassment of journalists. Finally, the chapter assesses the key issues for the future of media freedom and potential countermeasures for media control and capture.
