The Media in Italy (National Medias) - Hardcover

Hibberd, Matthew

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0335222862 ISBN 13: 9780335222865

Publisher: Open University Press, 2007

Synopsis

The Italian media - the press, cinema, radio and television - is one of the largest and most controversial media industries in mainland Europe. In this introductory text Matthew Hibberd explores the key historical processes and events in the growth and development of Italy's main media and considers it in the context of the economic, political, socio-cultural and technological movements that have affected Italy.

Featuring a timeline of key Italian events, the book begins with the Unification - or Risorgimento - of Italy in 1861, and charts the rise of Italy from a fragmented and rural-based society through to a leading industrialised and urbanised world power. It details Fascism's reliance on the exploitation of the mass media, analyses Italy's remarkable post-war recovery, the development of democratic institutions and the contribution that a pluralistic media has made to this. Finally, it examines Silvio Berlusconi's rise to high political office and questions whether the involvement of Italy's leading media mogul in politics has harmed Italy's international reputation.

The Media in Italy addresses key themes that show how the Italian state and Italian media operate, such as:

• How governing parties and individuals have been able to assert influence over media intuitions
• Why there is a close relationship between political elites and media professionals
• The lack of consensus over key media reforms
• The importance of the Catholic Church in the development of the Italian media
• How a unique Italian media system has been shaped by issues of citizenship, democracy and nation-state

The Media in Italy is key reading for students on media, journalism, politics, and modern language courses.

About this title

Synopsis:

Although outwardly seemingly a small market, the Italian media are influential not only in the domestic Italian market, but also as an international player. Domestically, because of the cunningly intertwined relationship of the media, the marketplace and politics (the recent elections are an example of this) and internationally as Italy is one of the few countries in Europe that has managed to survive, in part, the onslaught of Murdochisation. The book will explore why politics and government are so closely linked, and assess the question of whether it's just national pride that has allowed the media to remain relatively independent of global groups. The focus is on the contemporary media, but the book importantly frames the media in the context of Italy, post the 1861 Unification through to the future of the media, via the ascendancy of one particular newspaper editor, that is Benito Mussolini and his exploitation of the mass media.

About the Author:

Matthew Hibberd is Senior Lecturer in Media Studies and Director of the MSc in Public Relations Online at Stirling University, UK. He is also Visiting Professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy.

About this edition

• Publisher: Open University Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0335222862
• ISBN 13: 9780335222865
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192