Communication Law and Policy: The State of Research and Theory

Abstract

This essay describes the domain of research in communication law and policy. It is based on a content analysis of research published in the journal Communication Law and Policy (1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004), papers presented to the Communication Law and Policy Division at annual conferences of the International Communication Association (1997Association ( -2004, as well as consideration of other resources. The most frequent areas for research were media regulation, Internet policy, and freedom of expression issues. After reviewing recent literature on the first two topics, we identified and showcased two emergent categories deserving future attention: communication and the law (particularly fair trial-free press issues) and implications of the burgeoning consolidation of media ownership.

Unidentified advertising: Separating contents and radio owner responsibility

“…Other approaches are based on the need to establish a specific legal framework that would regulate the media accountability (MA) policy in advertising. Van Cuilenburg and McQuail (2003), Reinard and Oritz (2005) and Gibbons and Humphreys (2012) compare the diverse paradigms of media SR policies in the United States and Europe, revealing that the American model is more sensitive regarding MA.…”

Broadcasting Regulation and the Public Interest

“…In media literature, several public interests—some contradicting the others—are addressed as something that media regulation should promote and preserve. For example, more competition in the broadcasting market (Motta & Polo, 1997) as well as protecting the public against the media power (Reinard & Ortiz, 2005), are very “popular” public interests; the public interests regarding equitable access and providing basic services on one hand and protecting the public from authorities’ abuse on the other hand (Raboy, 2004), securing cultural diversity in programming (Puppis, 2008) as well as protecting localism in terms of preserving community values and culture (Reinard & Ortiz, 2005), and so on.…”