Péter Bajomi-Lázár – författare

This textbook offers an overview of the current ethical challenges of public communication in general and of journalism in particular in Eastern Europe. It recalls the normative theories of media performance and describes the professionalisation and de-professionalisation of journalism. It explores the impacts of digitalisation and of platformisation on the news media and looks into the global and local reasons behind the inability of journalism to fully perform its democratic functions in Eastern Europe. It also offers a detailed account of the media systems and journalistic cultures of the region following the political transformations of 1989–1991 and identifies some of the most controversial practices of journalism to date. Then, in search of answers to the current ethical challenges of public communication, it describes the prevailing notions of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ journalism, changing public expectations vis-à-vis journalists, the specific challenges encountered by investigative reporters, the effects of online fake news on the journalistic profession, the changing practices of political and corporate censorship, and the differences between smear and scandal. Finally, it argues that ethical public communication calls for more than just ethical journalism: media policy must also be ethically based and seek answers that provide all citizens with equal access to the means of public communication.

"The book’s message is brief: Liberal democracies are at risk. Democratic decay has numerous causes, but technological innovations and profit-driven dynamics are shaping societal relations in ways that intensify disagreements and polarisation, undermining informed citizenship. The growing number of uncertainties associated with the new communications order, further enhanced by the rise of information warfare waged by both radical domestic actors and geopolitical powers in recent years, has become a reason for concern in liberal democracies, yet academic analyses of and policy responses to the challenges of the new media landscape are lagging behind technological transformation. Policymakers seeking regulatory answers need to weigh and balance a range of considerations, including democratic standards such as media freedom and pluralism, sustainable financing strategies for media businesses, economic productivity, ecological implications, and security concerns. The harmonisation of the different interests at stake takes time, while inaction feeds public distrust in democratic institutions and processes.This volume shows that the quality of digital media performance remains central to democratic life and to responsibilities that citizens and institutions have toward one another. The authors call for policy decisions to be taken on both the national and the supranational levels. Regulatory institutions must be granted the necessary legal tools and financial resources to protect accurate information and to fight disinformation, as only informed and critical-minded citizens can defend democracies. The risks are too real to be devalued. Awareness and action are needed."