MSCP VERIFIED ACCURATE STUDY GUIDE
System - Answers - methodological tool, used for comparative research
Four major dimensions of media systems - Answers - the development of media
markets, political parallelism, the development of journalistic professionalism and the
degree and nature of state intervention in the media system
Political parallelism - Answers - the link between political actors and the media as well
as the extent to which the media reflect political divisions
External pluralism - Answers - pluralism achieved at the level of the media system as a
whole, through the existence of a range of media outlets/organisations reflecting the
point of view of different groups or tendencies in society (separate broadcasting
companies represent different social groups; high level of political parallelism)
Internal pluralism - Answers - pluralism achieved within each individual media outlet or
organisation. Media organisations try to avoid institutional ties to political groups and
attempts to maintain neutral and 'balance' content (attempt is made to represent
different organised voices of the society within a single org; low level of political
parallelism)
Government model - Answers - public broadcasting is controlled directly by the
government or political majority
Professional model - Answers - broadcasting is largely protected from political control
and run by broadcasting professionals (eg BBC)
Parliamentary/proportional representation - Answers - control over public broadcasting
is divided among the political parties by proportional representation
Civic/corporatist model - Answers - control of public service broadcasting is distributed
among various social and political groups but extends representation of other 'socially
relevant groups' (eg trade unions, business associations, religious organisations)
Politics-over-broadcasting system - Answers - government model/polarized pluralist
Formally autonomous system - Answers - professional model/liberal
Politics-in-broadcasting system - Answers - parliamentary and civic model/democratic
Liberal system - Answers - government should not intervene in media (freedom of
speech)
