Citizenship and Media Policy in the Semi-periphery: The Greek Case

Abstract

The following work examines the ways in which citizenship and citizenry have been affected by the changing structure of media systems in the periphery. The paper concentrates on television policy and performance in Greece. It explores the close relation between media policy and the notion of civil society that is articulated through media policy and the reflection in it of transformations in the political and economic system. The paper looks at the historical development of television and its relation with the public, arguing that the role of the latter has been diminished either to the status of receivers of propaganda 'products' or consumers of market oriented programmes. The paper aims to critically examine deregulation and current media policies and their impact on the notion of citizenship and the right to communicate.