Research Topic SummaryThis Research Topic investigates how media systems respond to complex governance challenges in a rapidly changing, digitalized environment. The collection covers a spectrum of issues, starting with an analysis of regulatory dynamics in Spanish journalism, which highlights the impact of pluralism and polarization on media norms.
Other manuscripts examine ethical codes in journalism, evaluating how evolving industry standards address contemporary challenges. Public attitudes are also featured; one study, for example, analyzes Spanish citizens’ demand for increased external control over health communication during the COVID-19 crisis, bringing attention to the tension between media autonomy and social responsibility.
The Research Topic further investigates the role of digital intermediaries and platforms, exposing regulatory gaps and questioning the adequacy of current frameworks in the face of new media actors like influencers.
Collectively, the articles published in this collection demonstrate the necessity of flexible, transparent, and participatory governance approaches—balancing self-regulation, co-regulation, and external oversight—to ensure media accountability, trust, and democratic resilience in today's information society.
Research Topic DescriptionThe governance of media infrastructures in the European Union has always been a particularly complex affair. A notable factor contributing to this complexity is a framework that features a dual-funding model, where public and private media exist side by side. Increasing concerns over the politicization of the media as well as the lack of transparency concerning their ownership have made things even more complex. The European Union’s Media Pluralism Monitor has highlighted the weaknesses of information pluralism in a context where researchers are compelled to study the role that artificial intelligence/automation is playing in both the creation of content and the development of spyware technologies for the surveillance of journalists.
In response to these concerns, the European Commission has proposed the adoption of a new set of rules, known as the Media Freedom Act, the chief purpose of which is to protect media pluralism and independence within the bloc. The Act raises a number of important questions, however. For example, it is not prima facie clear whether media independence can or should be regulated—some might even go so far as to argue that doing so would be a plain contradiction in terms—and just how much pluralism there should be within a committee whose job is to evaluate information pluralism.
The aim of this Research Topic is to investigate potential solutions to the challenges currently shaking the media landscape in the European Union: is the self-regulation of the media still a viable avenue, or is co-regulation a better option?
Subthemes to be addressed include, but are not limited to, the following:
• the coexistence of legal norms and media deontology—examples in different EU countries
• the structure of the journalistic profession—corporatism and conditions for the practice of journalism
• influencers’ and streamers’ advertising activities
• influencers, streamers, vloggers, and content creators for platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitch—co-regulation or self-regulation?
• from the European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services (ERGA) to the European Board for Media Services
• the self-regulation of the internet for the challenges of 2030
• e-commerce and user trust—requirements and needs
• social networks and governance models
• stylebooks as proof of quality
• public value tests
• clause of conscience, professional secrecy, and the right to rectification
• user associations, stakeholders, and organizations in governance systems.
We encourage the submission of articles of the following
types: Original Research, Review, and Mini Review.
Please note that this Research Topic accepts manuscripts submitted via Frontiers in Communication only. 