Media power in the Llithuanian news market reconsidered

Abstract

The media as a social actor is particular in the sense that its activities are both economic and political. The production of goods and services is often both private and public; therefore, the media is playing an important political function in informing and consolidating the public, as well as the economic one of generating revenue. Thus, apart from their democratic responsibilities, the media are also run as business enterprises. However, dominance of the market mechanisms and of commercial media makes the fulfilment of democratic functions complicated enough. Since late 1980s, the evolution of the Lithuanian media has passed four phases including liberalization, diversification, marketization and the second phase of diversification. Reflecting on the recent developments of the media in Lithuania, the article focuses on the media organizations and audiences, also increasing role of the media system in political and social life. What is the role of media in a democracy? What is its relationship to the power institutions? What does it make the media powerful? What kind of problems do emerge in executing the power? These and other questions are contextualized and discussed in the article.