German Media Landscape
Communication stands at the heart of human interactions and is dependent on the quality of information. Democratic involvement of people in administrative processes allows and calls for more and improved knowledge and the freedom to freely express and exchange viewpoints. Nonetheless, while small groups can exchange information in a luxurious face to face approach, citizens of an open and democratic state depend on a free and independent mass media channels to access their rights of free speech and rights to information. The public needs to guarantee an overall balanced, full, and varied facts as an essential prerequisite for a functional media democracy. The media being the trusted source of news for the public, needs to remain independent. Thus, it should not demonstrate aspects of concentration and political preference. There is no democracy without the freedom of expression of persons nor the freedom of the media.
German Media Landscape
The German media ecosystem is complex and robust. Independent research on current affairs is regularly accessible on radio and television, in the print media, or on online news portals. The followership has a diversity of sources from which to obtain communication of issues affecting their society. As a result, the media gets consideration as a supportive pillar beside the three arms of government, such as the judiciary, executive, and legislature. Being free and protected by the constitutional provisions, the media has a supervisory role in society and to itself (Ethical Journalism Network, 2020). Most citizens in Germany subscribe to a local newspaper, so they know what is going on in their immediate surroundings – it reports not only on their town’s politics and industry but also about building projects, accidents, and all sorts of events. Sources of news that cover several regions provide background information and investigative journalism, making them highly regarded. The national radio and television companies of the German states are considered to work under public law as public service broadcasters. They are sponsored by a tax which must be charged among all households in Germany. In exchange, these stations have basic coverage, including sports broadcasts, game shows, soap operas, and news programs and documentaries.
On the other hand, private broadcasters and commercial radio stations finance their operations or services through charging advertising fees (Schulz, Schroeder, and Dankert, 2020). Ability to adapt to digital technologies and the Internet allows provision of content to both older and younger populations who show a preference for information from articles, videos, and podcasts on the websites and online media libraries offered by nearly all news media in Germany. The reason there are so many different news media in Germany is also a product of the Federal Republic’s constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech and press freedom. The constitution allows the creation and distribution of opinions in different forms of pictures or writing without hindrance and censorship.
Conversely, while there are no limitations on who takes part in journalism, laws to regulate the industry exist (Ethical Journalism Network, 2020). Press codes require journalists to check the source and content of a report precisely before it is published. When they report false facts or gossip, they would have to make it clear in the post. Also, the coverage should not be combined with ads. The promotional material, as such, must also be clearly defined. If journalists have represented a person or information falsely, they will be obliged to publish a counter-statement.
Additionally, journalists can be legally held responsible for their content. On their part, journalists commit not to accept any form of gifts that would threaten their independence. Journalists will carefully weigh up the right of the victim to privacy and personal integrity in their coverage against the power of the public to know. They should not let themselves be motivated by sensationalism or discriminate against or offend others. A regulator, the press council, and the broadcasting council monitors the adherence of media personalities to these principles. It remains open for citizen complaints against violations of the guiding codes. Subsequently, they examine allegations and send rebukes and warnings to specific channels in the case of a breach. They monitor whether public service media meets its obligations of statutory broadcasting responsibility.
Public corporations have considerable flexibility in drawing up their media policies. Attempts to regulate such practices, frequently hostile to existing regimes, have been consistently rejected; therefore, in practice, more than radio, German television enjoys extraordinary flexibility and freedom over what it broadcasts (Schulz, Schroeder, and Dankert 2020). Public radio and television networks are arranged on national and regional lines, with a variety of local companies providing two or four radio programming schedules, including one evening TV service, ARD. The program is complemented by a second television network ZDF based in Mainz. A third component operated by the first provider allows access to regional news, emphasizing local and regional events, including school activities and art programs. The uneven quality of radio and television entertainment is balanced by the high-quality news coverage and political and social reporting, making the German public one of the best-informed.
Radio. The media system comprises two main radio stations that provide a German perspective of events — Deutschland Radio and Deutsche Welle. They are publicly run to offer a detailed viewpoint of events with Deutsche Welle beaming to Europe region and overseas. Besides, regional public radio stations provide localized programming besides 200 private radio stations that are regionally and locally based.
Television. Technological advancement in the twenty-first century expanded the coverage of cable and satellite television. As a result, the networks achieved a more in-depth penetration into the country’s regions to offer extensive programs in public and commercial television. Advancement of technology allowed the switching of the terrestrial and satellite broadcast systems from analog to digital systems. Terrestrial signal digitization significantly increased viewing opportunities for the small percentage of homes that rely on an antenna to receive TV broadcasts.
Press. On the press, the protection of freedoms of speech in the constitution and the diverse availability of readership media allows citizens to become voluminous readers of newspapers and periodicals. There is a range of publications, covering regional as well as national news. The development of the Internet and regular dissemination of current information on such platforms allows substantial access on daily or weekly publications in more comprehensive coverage relative to traditional print circulation. The press is free of government interference, a political party controls no newspaper, and only a small percent of papers publicly support a political party. However, most of them give a distinctly political perspective. Laws restrict the total circulation of newspapers or magazines, which one publisher or group can control. The Federal Cartel Office oversees the media industry to ensure independence while protecting against a media company abusing its position of dominance in the industry to influence followers. The national press occupies a unified level despite regional differences in location to create relevant information. The level of circulation determines the extent of readership, with some media only reaching local followers while others command universal distribution that grants them significant readership of any paper. As a result, they can publish various regional editions. The primary publication of German newspapers, replete with politics and arts coverage, is distributed on Saturday. Additionally, a lively Sunday press complements the daily publications, chapters gives an overview, point of view, and explanation of significant news developments as well as political discussion and artistic disparagement. The analysis papers run as separate news articles intended to compete with publications in other days of the week.
The magazine market is dominated by pictorials which serve to carry features of high caliber investigative articles. Others, however, cater to the public’s unquenchable appetite for celebrities’ escapades, bizarre criminality, gracious living annals, and several escapist themes. Aside from a wealth of specialized journals and high-quality business-oriented magazines, the role of high-prestige opinion magazines is widely incorporated by the weighty weekly versions. A particular niche is occupied mostly by some weekly newspaper, creating a journalistic force of its own which, through editorial stance, has shaped public opinion in Germany as the cynical, unaligned observer and guardian of public consciousness. Exhaustive in reporting, and polemical in tone, they feature in-depth, critical reviews of past and current events.
Germany has major publishing houses, and more than 90,000 titles reach the public, a production that only the United States surpasses. Germany has historically been home to publishing houses for small and medium-sized businesses. Publishing is not based in a single city but is relatively spread across cities.
Influence of Funding on Journalism
Ultimately, it is the ownership of a media platform that influences the stories generated for readership. They set the boundaries of policy for their organization, and the type of synergy may serve to influence the stories a journalist pursues. Editors may impose pressure on journalists of the kind of products to promote based on the profit generation capability (Schulz, Schroeder, and Dankert 2020). The journalists may be pushed to avoid issues that are deemed sensitive and dangerous (Hanusch, 2017). Admittedly, pressures such as life threats and harm to sources lead journalists to practice self-censorship.
Similarly, journalists are required by employment laws to adhere to industry standards and routines of reporting. They work to deadlines, have word and time limitations, while still expected to stay within house rules, making reference to past cases, and discussing content with their editors. It creates pressure for journalists to bow to processes significantly influencing the type of content presented. The influence depends on the characteristics of the system, including the emphasis on professionalism, availability of technology, levels of competition, and the interests of audiences. On the other hand, the system could serve to advance the attention of the elites within public discourses by suggesting topics of interest to journalists while avoiding detrimental issues.
Also, the interests of advertisers influence the products of journalism. They create content types to match the consumption patterns of readers (Schulz, Schroeder, and Dankert, 2020). Since the commercial media operates a duality of purposes, by selling itself to consumers and the latter to advertisers, they demand mass readership for mass adverts (Hanusch, 2017). On the same note, niche-specific articles of reporting built on a perspective of quality enable advertiser’s access to smaller audiences. The quests for the readers in the news media shape the content generated in the platforms in diverse titles. Friction in journalism also has to do with the fact that most media outlets continue to rely on advertising sales, creating tension between economic and reporting objectives. As a result, separation of the financial and journalistic aspects is essential in reestablishing credibility and integrity. The approach empowers reporters to reject influences from outside of their sphere.
Nonetheless, growing economic pressures facing the news environment increasingly lead to media exposure and individual journalists’ routines and practices becoming more susceptible to outside influence. Moreover, the advancement of technology, resulting in enhanced content creation and merging, heightened competition for audience targeting due to widespread consumption. It contributes to the fragmentation of audiences leading advertisers to focus on alternative channels as platforms to reach a specific niche. As a result, organizations increasingly become financially unstable, making them easy to manipulate by capitalists and people with influence (Hanusch, 2017). The availability of resources to journalists declines, reducing the ability to source for new storylines or preference for outsourcing. Hence, individual journalists faced with economic instabilities become more susceptible to influence by people with means of information. The absence of financial support hinders thorough research and profound journalism despite not being openly acknowledgeable to the journalist who fails to identify the effects of commercialization in their work. The advertisers use their power to control the approach of journalists to issues through controlling media owners or editors in exchange for superior resources to focus on specific areas of interest to a product range (Steinlein, 2019). Internal advocacy for a topic through the internal communications on the scope of issues to address, with the orientation to reciprocate to advertising efforts, affects journalists directly. Shunning financial assistance could hinder journalists’ access to stories leading to missed opportunities while accepting aid can be used to force journalists to adopt a new perspective than their norms and practices through coercion and unduly pressured. It hinders the aspects of remaining objective and transparent in regards to the sources of their support.
Online Journalism and Commitment to Original Duty of Journalism
The journalistic sphere has undergone radical changes and transformations, gradually adapting to current global news-making trends. Journalism online has reached and dominated areas where Internet users spend a lot of their free time on social media (Borchardt, 2019). Online media have made their mark in the growth of various dimensions of alternative news distribution and citizen journalism. The commercial press does not have the exclusive means to meet the public anymore. Anyone can get details out to the rest of the world. The advent of advanced production methods and new technologies for the dissemination of journalistic knowledge indicates that the initial mistrust of the Internet of the past, among publishing houses and editorial offices, has gradually disappeared, mainly because of the rapid technological changes and opportunities provided by the online environment.
The Internet has been a successful collaborator but has also become a stable ‘traditional’ media rival. At present, it is strengthening its place as a means of mainstream communication tied to media audiences of young and middle-aged generations (Borchardt, 2019). It also serves as a particularly valuable resource for improving education as a space for performing a wide range of activities such as research, business, and marketing. As a result, the traditional media needs to address these aspects and use the Internet as a reaction to the trends in digitization to their advantage. In the case of emerging digital actors who describe themselves as journalists while they often lack the ‘standard’ formal qualifications and institutional context, ongoing transformations of the journalistic profession are also evident. These new actors blur and irritate traditional boundaries of journalism in advancing the field and, in most instances, shed light for mainstream journalists on topics of interest affecting society. They also work at the forefront of groundbreaking media and use the full spectrum of digital tools to exchange information and news online. Individual journalists have become even more prominent, and the current media environment is fractured, which is why the voice of individuals in a social media world is more precise. Journalists – both those who work inside media outlets and those who operate ‘outside’ the traditional media industry – can create direct communication with the public and have more choices of where to source for stories for publication.
The Internet transforms the approach to production and dissemination of news. However, the pace of these ongoing cycles of change is why media practices, along with journalism theory, can hardly cope with any of these. Whether the newspapers are available in conventional or online formats, the element that decides on the efficacy of their public impact and acceptance is required to attract and maintain the recipients. Receiving attention from readers translates into economic imperatives as audiences pay attention to specific content, thus creating an advertiser’s platform.
Online journalism directly contrasts with the more conventional media related methods of disseminating journalistic content, enables producers to deliver news in a non-linear manner, and consumers can choose when and how to receive news. However, the innovative principles of journalism, which result in unique information processing and shaping practices to produce journalistic items, are correlated with the use of narrowly defined methods, much as in the case of customary journalism. Nonetheless, the overall context of innovative practices related to online media items as well as its final forms is, and in no small degree, distinct from the expected outcomes of journalistic research.
Journalism’s perception as a discipline has changed dramatically, mainly because the modern media climate has brought new opportunities but also problems relevant to professional practice. Traditional media and online journalism have coexisted for long. However, the period marked by skepticism of the role of digital media an development of pessimistic views of the future of the primary duty of journalism. Traditionally, journalism is known as a relentless, innovative, and highly skilled practice conducted in public. The emergence of digital technologies was predicted to lead to the extinction of the press and print newspapers. As a result, publishers saw the need to take any necessary steps to protect and preserve their existing readership bases.
The development of digital media platforms creates cultural environments that encourage some type of interaction while discouraging others. Like traditional media, the digital transition to online journalism is guided by cultural dimensions that determine the hierarchy of organized engagement and the type of practices one can engage in. Furthermore, the development of online journalism occurs within nested social systems making the transition to new media closely related to news media due to reliance on cultural values and the historical backdrop of traditional news. Conversely, it lacks the tangibility of audiences for the journalist despite providing the role of socialization into the social network from raising expectations. These expectations of the readers act as guidelines for the online journalist through which they become aware of possible and desired practices to use in self-presentations.
Apart from these diverse cultural efficiencies of modern media, they consider very robust conceptions of journalistic integrity, which stem from etched images and sacred journalism discourses. In practice, professionalism is manifested in the self-conceptions and expressions of journalists, including frontier work to protect the jurisdictions of the profession against manipulation by outsiders.
Traditional journalism is hardly at an endpoint since it is still transforming. Journalism remains open to technological changes as they enhance achievement of occupational goals and values. As a result, the transition to digital media occurs as a hybridity of existing and new forms of journalism which have context dependent impact on level of professionalism.
Independent Journalism
Journalism is profoundly influenced by a growing media climate that has led to an ever-increasing rate of innovation and media platforms and network differentiation that both promotes and facilitates individualized media use. The trend allowed changes in news production and news consumption, both at the level of individual practices and at the level of organizational and social practices (Steinlein, 2019). When more people consume news online, news outlets face the challenge of redeploying resources to draw new readers and viewers while also attempting to hold on to their current, and typically declining, print or broadcast audiences. Of most news media online revenues are only a small fraction of traditional print or broadcast revenues (Hanusch, 2017). And after several years of double-digit annual sales growth for online ads, advertisers prefer to place promotional messages on the platforms with high followership hence necessitating new sources of incomes to sustain operations for traditional media.
An open and free society needs to privatize or publicize the ownership of media. It allows them to remain independent of external influences. The ownership of media and its control by governments seeks to diminish capital gains. The state is less interested in profits but exclusively on regulating the production and distribution of content. In accordance, the government protection of the freedoms of expression seek to shift the ability of politics and owners of instrument of information from gaining undue influence on the type of content received by masses. Notably, the owners of media platforms are in a position to shape the type of content and the possibility of such influence warrants restrictions (Hanusch, Banjac and Maares, 2019). Openly, the influence is likely to be personal, political, ideological or commercial given their position in shaping media content. The media as an instrument of influence affords various stakeholders the prospects of influence, making it likely that they could influence the orientation of the apparatus. It could occur especially in cases where the number of media producers and owners are few, leading to lesser diversity of consumer content. Therefore, the promotion of freedom to establish media platforms is necessary as it creates pluralism. The latter, allows a range of competitive ownership thereby reducing media concentration which could in turn amount to significant influence on media content as well as the manner of reporting (Franklin, 2014). Control of the powers of journalist used in the German system of media is hence important since it allows a market driven content creation without prioritizing the interests of owners and advertisers over those of the public readership. Investigative journalism becomes a possibility since the existing oversight bodies ensure that media content is less than used as a pretext to promote sponsored adverts. Censorship allows the harmonization of the interests of owners and publishers to those of information seekers while journalists are not considered more of non-essential components of costs. Rather, they become parties to the creation of consumer-centered content with their level of independence less reliant on the influence of media owners and political actors. It allows the upholding of freedom of expression for everyone.
However, the level of independence comes with a price. The media and its owners are required to generate enough business to withstand competition and to remain free of the influence of stakeholders (Hanusch, 2017). They have to generate unique content that is less replicable by competitors. The effort requires intellectual efforts of professional journalists. Conversely, a dilemma on the entrepreneurial responsibility of the publisher to react to opportunities in the environment and the freedom of the journalist to independently express themselves to issues they deem right creates hindrances (Hanusch, Banjac and Maares, 2019). Consequently, the publisher’s control of the editorial line prevails in most instances due to ownership of the means of production. Remarkably, the publication of news and media content is capital intensive and requires substantial investment, thus limiting the number of persons with the capability to publish news products. As a result, the journalists become highly dependent on owners of means of news production, ultimately lowering their level of independence (Hanusch, Banjac and Maares, 2019). Certainly, a limited market forces qualified journalists to sacrifice their right to freedom of expression with their publisher’s enterprising anticipations.
In Germany, public service model of broadcasting is used with the private sector emerging to tame the former through increasing competition and opportunities for new and different voices. Allowing the media freedom enables the fulfilment of public service mission from either end. However, since the private media enterprises depend on revenue generation to advance their fulfillment of the aim, it generates the presumption that they are less likely to allow independent journalism. Imposing strict regulations on their content, on the other hand, restricts their existence as it would create a public service monopoly and limit the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression.
Creation of the public system committed to ensuring that members of the society receive information and can create personal media provides a strong basis for democratization. De-commercialization marks the initial step towards journalists’ ethical commitment to remaining focused on delivering market driven content. It requires separation of the functions of journalists from the public relations functions by providing public subsidies to support independent journalism. Also, prevention media monopolies increase competition while encouraging diversity thus curtailing the profit-maximization behaviors. The government should regulate news outlets through protecting the public interests and emphasizing the obligations of news channels to the public by making the information needs clear. The creation of workers’ unions in the newsroom and facilitating cooperatives within the media system would ensure protection of individual journalists from influence on the range of stories they run by the powerful. Of importance also, is the fostering of community ownership and oversight of newsrooms to enable the creation of accountability to diverse sources of news and information.
Any public media system must however erect a firewall to separate it from government and other powerful influences. While government will play a key administrative role in the creation and security of this program, it should be publicly run, independent, and democratic in deciding what different forms of media content and news outlets are funded. With sufficient funding and services, political autonomy must be tied to economic independence to reduce the possibility of journalists being coerced to push or abandon a perspective.
Media Systems
The media includes a variety of different television media contact platforms that exchange information across broadcast airwaves to print media that rely on printed documents. Mass media is also the compilation of all types of media that transmit information to the general public, including television, print, radio, and the Internet (Steinlein, 2019). Audiences turn to media systems to obtain news and knowledge of important occurrences taking place in the society from political, economic to social events with clarity and neutrality. The media hires a variety of people in different positions to accomplish its work. It is the responsibility of journalists and reporters to uncover news stories by keeping an eye on areas of public interest, such as politics, business and sports. When a journalist has an idea or a lead for a report, he or she examines background details and interviews people in order to produce an accurate and balanced account. Editors work in the newsroom context, assigning reports, supporting articles or packages and editing material for accuracy and clarification. Publishers are individuals or companies who own and distribute digital or print media. They oversee both the publication’s content and operations, ensuring that the company makes a profit and produces a high quality product that can be sold to customers. Producers manage the visual media production and operations, such as television, radio, and film. The public relations carry out communications with the aim to improve the image of companies, organizations and individuals. They help an organization and individual to get positive press and are not neutral form of information.
There is a massive remapping of media laws and regulations around the world. This is the critical moment for democratization driven by rapid global shifts that are due to the creation of more mainstream media. These involve rising numbers of awareness enthusiasm, a general push towards democratization, various foreign pressures, and the inexorable effects of digital media. It has brought about digital television and the Internet (Franklin, 2014). It has, as a result, produced radical changes for media companies, journalists and the public at large. Journalistic content distribution platforms have proliferated, technological advances have driven media companies to revamp their operations in the sometimes desperate attempt to remain lucrative and relevant, while journalists are operating in an increasingly rapidly changing industry. The readership has access to a variety of sources of news and information.
The digitization of media platforms has expanded the interaction between consumers and journalists. The changing environment affects how journalism content is produced, distributed and used by audiences since it allows intertwining of stakeholders (Franklin, 2014). Today, journalistic content is created, used and distributed through multiple platforms, and social media is increasingly complementing traditional mass media, while expanding contact options between journalists and their audiences. Consequently, the parties have increased connectivity between content creators and their audiences while still enabling the procurement of consumer feedback. The media is now presented with a new option of managing consumer comments generated from user interaction on online channels which changes the way journalists and their readers use, manage, and perceive interactions.
Artificial Intelligence Journalism
The public trust in traditional media organizations is necessary as a source of information. However, the possibility of influence to the range of content from powerful influencers and owners besides the economic pressure reduces the level of reliance. The use of artificial intelligence in journalism could promote the process of democratization through machine learning, automation and data processing. Artificial intelligence (AI) would enhance efficiency in the work of journalists enabling them to deliver content that is more tailored to the needs of specific groups (Franklin, 2014). On reducing economic dependence, AI helps to improve business efficiency by lowering administrative costs thus enabling media to remain independent of influencers. It changes the newsroom roles by creating a more augmentative position for existing journalists rather than replace them as does digitization, pushing them to rely on funders for success. Journalism shall enhance journalism quality by enhancing the human values of judgement and creativity, correct existing biases and increase diversity of stories and audiences.
Artificial intelligence is also a source of creativity, resources and systems for the advancement of more accountability, discussion and Journalism help. It increases the competitiveness of media platforms by preventing them from falling behind to new emerging forms of information distribution. Consequently, the media systems strengthen their market position in producing and distributing niche specific content without facing stiff competition. They obtain higher readership allowing continuance of functions of linking consumers to advertisers while providing detailed content.
Conclusion
Democratic communication and information sharing enhances development of human rights and freedoms of speech as it allows preservation of human dignity and truth. The media in all its forms is tasked with the role of providing accurate information as an obligation. The democratization of news production and distribution allows growth of the freedom of speech to the masses and the media. Further development of new forms of information creation platforms through the Internet and emerging artificial intelligence enhances freedom to distribute and access facts. However, it is necessary for journalists in both classes of media to limit the sway of powerful influencers to their content. Presence of substantial external guidance hinders delivery of neutral news which limits the constitutionally granted right to expression. Economic shortages and existing power relations determine the content publication in mainstream media. Advertisers could take advantage of financial instabilities facing journalists to determine the range of topics and extent they cover. Reducing the impact of owners to journalists promotes independence reporting. It is only possible through creation of reporter’s autonomy through reducing political influence to the processes of news creation. Independence enables readers to have continuous supply of information on diverse topics delivered with accuracy and ethical approaches.