Accountability of Media to Society

Developments in technology, deregulation and increased commercialization have combined to pose a threat to established ways of relating the activities and aspirations of mass media to the `needs of society'. At the core of the problem is the dilemma of reconciling media freedom with legitimate claims and expectations from private and public interests, under fundamentally changing conditions. This article considers some basic principles of the accountability process, reviews the means available for achieving accountability and proposes some general guidelines for future policy and practice.