The tittle Media Matters: Towards New Safeguards for Their Democratic Functions has just been published by Springer Publishers. It is an English translation of the 2024 WRR report Aandacht voor media; Naar nieuwe waarborgen voor hun democratische functies.
Image: © WRR
Democratic functions under pressure
The radical transformation of the information environment has seriously deteriorated the position of national media in democratic societies. An abundance of information is available online, but it is often unreliable and not independently produced. Public debates are widely accessible and very dynamic, but also harsh and unsafe.
In its report, the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR) advises the Dutch government to invest in a safe and reliable information environment by ambitiously implementing and enforcing EU regulations for platforms and online channels. The visibility and findability of democratically relevant content must be improved, local journalism must be strengthened. Media users, especially those with a public profile, such as politicians, must be aware of their responsibility within the media system.
Springer Series: Research for Policy
Media matters is the 13th tittle to come out in the so-called Springer Series. In this series, which started some five years ago, the WRR publishes research relevant to international society. Like previous publications in this series, Media Matters: Towards New Safeguards for Their Democratic Functions is an open access book. It is available for free as an ebook (PDF) or as a hardcover for a fee on the Springer website.