IPMZ – Institute of Mass Communication and Media Research

Reforming or Conforming?

The Contribution of Communication Science

to Media Policy in Switzerland

ICA Preconference “Strategies for Media Reform”

London, June 17, 2013

Dr. Manuel Puppis m.puppis@ipmz.uzh.ch

Dr. Matthias Künzler m.kuenzler@ipmz.uzh.ch

Important Role of Scholars in Policy-Making

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structural conditions- increasing possibilities for scholars to advise media policy-

making: policy-makers interested in fresh ideas

- members of parliament and administration appreciate “independent expert opinion”

academia sought to advise media policy-making - small academic discipline looking for legitimation (1970s/1980s)

- personnel acquaintance

- young scholars aware of social responsibility: “The young scholars had a new understanding of science, they wanted to contribute to the solution of social problems”

resulted in a high amount of realized proposals suggested by scholars

Reforming or Conforming?

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yet involvement in policy-making is not the same as proposing democratic media reform

most of the realized proposals suggested by scholars were - already in political debate or uncontested

- in the self-interest of academia most established scholars

- do not want to shape policy-making directly (“objectivity”)

- closely connected to elite and did not support radical change scholars & politicians put role of academia into perspective

- “Science can neither solve policy problems nor expect that its suggestions are implement directly”

- aware of potential risk of instrumentalization

Conclusion

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there is indeed a demand for research- politicians & Ofcom appreciate communication research to get

new ideas and knowledge about other countries

- communication science able to influence debates about media policy by suggesting new models and regulatory reform

however: communication science fell short of driving media reform so far- getting directly involved contradicts prevailing self-conception

of most scholars

- few progressive proposals that challenge interests of politicians and media owners

- proposals calling for more radical change did not get political support