Reasserting the public interest in European media policy

This article considers the question of private sector pressure and its effect on the making of public policy. It argues that policy-makers sometimes do not consider all possible policy options due to lobbying by powerful interests. The Television Without Frontiers EU directive was significantly weakened as a result of such pressure she argues, to the detriment of public service broadcasting (PSB), particularly for children. She argues that pressure to ensure the survival of PSB can be brought to bear on policy-makers through such organizations as the Citizens Coalition for Public Service Broadcasting in the United Kingdom, and urges academics to engage with this and similar initiatives.