Negotiating power: community media, democracy, and the public sphere

Given the centrality of communication to society, who owns the media, who gets to speak on behalf of whom, and to what end are critical issues. The regression of mainstream media from watchdogs of democracies to business ventures resulting in Habermasian refeudalisation of the public sphere is worrying. Community media re-engage communities on the periphery, opening possibilities for social change. The dominance of mainstream players in media governance, complicated by sustainability concerns of grassroots enterprises, result in legislation that impedes the potentiality of community media access and participation as mapped in this paper with the case of community radio struggle in India.

Publisher: Routledge
Edition: Vol 19: 4-5
Year of Publication: 2009
Download : 12032_negotiating_power_community_media_democracy_and_the_public_sphere.pdf