Legal framework for media and democracy

Open discourses and the free formation of opinions through unfettered information flows and communicated diversity of opinion are unthinkable without independent media and essential prerequisites for a functioning democracy. Notwithstanding the importance of the linkage between media and democracy, there is no harmonized framework addressing this issue. By adopting a legal perspective, this study shall outline existing and emerging regulations, with a particular focus on broadcast, print, and online media. Two regulatory tiers are distinguished: At the international level, the establishment of a World Information Order as well as the human rights perspective intrinsic to the subject matter will be addressed. At the national level, legal approaches to particular tensions accompanying state regulation of the media will be examined.