Global Media Policy in the New Millennium

The terrain of media policymaking is shifting. What was still, even a short while ago, a field essentially defined by national legislative and regulatory frameworks and a minimum of international supervision, is now subject to a complex ecology of interdependent structures. This environment is characterised by a number of new developments, the most significant of which is that communication policy is no longer "made" at any clearly definable location, but is increasingly the result of a vast array of formal and informal mechanisms working across a multiplicity of sites. Specific policy issues, such as copyright or rules governing property transactions, migrate from one level to another, often typifying the flashpoint of conflicts between jurisdictions. But it is no longer possible to understand, let alone deal with, such issues without referring to the broader context. Media policy today is the result of a set of complex and multifaceted operations that take place simultaneously and transversally in a range of venues that include national parliaments and ministries, international organisations such as the WTO, ITU and UNESCO, global "clubs" such as the G8 and the OECD, regional bodies and treaty agreements such as the EU and NAFTA, as well as in transnational corporate boardrooms and on the barricades of anti-globalisation protests from Prague to Seattle.Global Media Policy in the New Millennium explores a number of issues, themes and case studies that illustrate and enhance our understanding of this situation. Its purpose is to amplify the empirical basis for a critique of the emerging global media policy environment as well as serve as a resource for actors seeking to intervene effectively in the area of media policy. Its target audience includes academics and students specialising in media policy; policymakers, regulators and analysts working in national agencies and international organisations; media professionals, grassroots practitioner and civil society lobbyists; industry strategists; and the interested lay public. A majority of the contributors are members of the Global Media Policy Working Group of the International Association of Media and Communication Research (IAMCR).Raboy, Marc is the author of 'Global Media Policy in the New Millennium' with ISBN 9781860205897 and ISBN 1860205895.