Party colonisation of the media in Central and Eastern Europe

This book compares media and political systems in East-Central as well as in Western Europe in order to identify the reasons possibly responsible for the extensive and intensive party control over the media. This phenomenon is widely experienced in many of the former communist countries since the political transformation. The author argues that differences in media freedom and in the politicization of the news media are rooted in differences in party structures between old and new democracies, and, notably, the fact that young parties in the new members of the European Union are short of resources, which makes them more likely to take control of and to exploit media resources.--

Cover -- Title page -- Copyright page -- Contents -- Acknowledgements -- 1. Political and Media Systems in Central and Eastern Europe -- 1.1. Media Freedom in Central and Eastern Europe -- 1.2. Conditions for Media Freedom -- 1.3. Theories of Media Capture -- 1.4. Party Colonisation of the Media -- 1.5. Party Colonisation and Media Freedom -- 1.6. Further Specifications -- 1.7. Normative Implications -- 1.8. Methodological Notes -- 2. Hungary -- 2.1. The Political and Media Landscapes -- 2.2. Media Policy under the Horn Government -- 2.3. Media Policy under the Second Orbán Government