AUSTRALIA: Opinion: Why the market can't ensure a free press

The Finkelstein report has already put some noses out of joint but it's an important analysis of the current state of the Australian media. Wendy Bacon explains in New Matilda the inquiry's key findings and recommendations.

SYDNEY (New Matilda /Pacific Media Centre / Pacific Media Watch): The Independent Media Inquiry headed by ex-judge Ray Finkelstein released its report on the Australian media earlier this month. If you have been following the media discussion since then, you couldn’t be blamed for thinking that Finkelstein wants to create a state super cop which will seize control of the media, impose new standards on journalists, dragging every blogger and tweeter into its net.

Some media have accused the inquiry report of being "leftist", academic and beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. New Matilda thinks part of the media’s job is to explain to the public what’s in reports they don’t have time to read so they can decide what they think. Here’s our go at doing that.

The report begins by setting out some core principles. A free press is crucial and no regulation should be allowed to threaten its independence or censor it. The media and journalists have rights which they exercise on behalf of the public to whom they should be accountable.

The report also accepts that media exercises power and can do harm. When harm is done, citizens need remedies. These are the core principles on which the report is based.

In considering how to find ways to put these principles into place, the report sets out key arguments about the role of the press in democracy. Contemporary political philosophy has moved beyond simply seeing government as the only threat to media freedom. Many argue you also need to consider the power of media itself, especially the power of big media companies.

The inquiry looks at other theories, including those which concentrate on the media’s role in providing a voice for citizens and a forum for political discussion. Rather than favouring any single rationale for free speech, it concludes:

"This is the situation this Inquiry must address: how to accommodate the increasing and legitimate demand for press accountability but to do so in a way that does not increase state power or inhibit the vigorous democratic role the press should play or undermine key rationales for free speech and a free press."

Concentrated media
Finkelstein finds that you can’t rely on the market to deliver a free press. This is particularly true in Australia with its highly concentrated media. The inquiry was discouraged by its terms of reference, which did not mention issues of ownership, from looking at broader solutions to the structure of the media. Nevertheless, it found that an examination of ways of delivering quality journalism and ethical standards can’t avoid considering the concentrated nature of the media. It provides a useful update of ownership issues.

Australia has the most concentrated media in the developed world. News Ltd has 65 percent of total circulation of metropolitan and national daily newspapers — Fairfax controls another 25 percent. In a study of 26 countries, Australia was the only one in which a single company — News Corporation — accounts for more than half of daily circulation. In 20 of the countries surveyed the share of the top company was under 40 percent. With a share of 86 percent, Australia’s top two companies — News Corp and Fairfax Media — hold a greater share than in any of the other countries.

[Abridged - go to the full article and links.]:

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