The Triangle of Democratic Interdependence and the Media's Role in Contemporary Society

Abstract

The
 aim
 of
 this
 paper
 is
 to
 present
 a
 basic
 framework
 which
 takes
 into
 account
 the
 importance
 of
 political
 governance
 and
 the
 media
 in
 influencing
 the
 economy
 and
 determining
 its
 actual
 course.
 In
 particular,
 this 
framework
 may
 be 
of 
help 
in
 elucidating
 the
 complex 
role
 of 
the 
media 
in
 contemporary
 democratic
 societies.
 For
 this
 purpose,
 a
 simple
 diagrammatic
 model
 is
 constructed
 and
 used
 for
 explanation.
 Its
 basis
 is
 a
 distinction
 among
 four
 main
 elements
 with
 potentially
 different
 interests:
 The
 political
 governance
 personnel,
 the
 business
 class,
 the
 wider
 public
 as
 consumers
 and oters,
 and
 the
 media.
 The
 first
 three
 form
 the
 three
 corners
 of
 a
 triangle
 while
 the
 media
 play
 an
 intermediating
 role
 among
 them.
 
 The
 presentation
 of
 the
 model
 is 
illustrated
 with 
examples
 from 
Greece.

Keywords: media, economy, business, government, consumers, voters, democracy

JEL Classification: P00, P10, P16, P19