ACCOUNTABILITY OF MEDIA TO SOCIETY - PRINCIPLES AND MEANS

Developments in technology, deregulation and increased commercializati on 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 w ith legitimate claims and expectations from private and public interes ts, under fundamentally changing conditions. This article considers so me basic principles of the accountability process, reviews the means a vailable for achieving accountability and proposes some general guidel ines for future policy and practice.