Investigating Media Systems: Comparative Perspectives of Global North and South

This document investigates the media systems of the Global North and South, focusing on the comparative perspectives. It explores the impact of media convergence and media autonomy in different regions, with a specific focus on the Indonesian context. Additionally, it discusses the Australian media policy and its emphasis on digital media. The document provides a comprehensive overview of the subject, including theoretical viewpoints and empirical standpoints.

INVESTIGATING MEDIA SYSTEMS
(COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES OF MEDIA
SYSTEMS OF GLOBAL NORTH AND SOUTH)
1 | P a g e

Introduction
The productiveness of media stands in the center of a “perfect thunderstorm”: Stagnation led
deterioration in publicizing revenues, an operational and irretrievable shift of media advertising
to the platform of internet, and the divided spectators moving progressively towards non-linear
consumption which remains less disposed to profitable impact and consequently less appreciated
to advertisers. It stands imperative, however in the focus of this declining gust, to preserve some
sensitivity on pragmatism. These financial forces do not relate in the same way to all forms of
media: television’s absolute control, its share at the midpoint of publics’ living spaces, and its
current hold over mass – though – spectators are decreasing – which implies that it stands less
vulnerable to mechanical pressures; statistical report of audience consumption in the
transmission media remain, if somewhat, intensifying; the indeterminate viable impact of online
publicity may understand its hold to be declining; and the depression will pass (Ekayanti &
Xiaoming, 2018).
A public sharing zone which currently looks comparatively vigorous related to a stammering
private segment might, in two or three years’ period, activate to look categorically worn-out as
the equipment of communications schedules its program to reflect its competences. In the
intervening time, some productions will arise sturdier and there drive stands as distinctive
commercial prospects. In the time being, though, wild media initiatives are looking for break
from their serious economic burdens and, in particular cases, from insolvency (Carpenter &
Ekdale, (2019).
The Global North/ South Break
During 1980s, the Brandt Link was settled as a method of presenting in what manner the domain
was physically fragmented into comparatively wealthier and mediocre nations. In accordance to
this model:
 Richer republics are practically all positioned across the Northerly Hemisphere, with the
exclusion of Australia as well as New Zealand.
 Poorer kingdoms are typically placed in tropical expanses as well as at the Southern part
2 | P a g e

All the same, very commanding transformation and improvements internationally have raised
numerous masses of persons out of unconditional insufficiency; there is considerable
substantiation that inequality amongst the world’s richest as well as poorest homelands is
broadening. During 1820, Western Europe's per person earnings remained three times superior to
Africa’s nevertheless; in 2000 it stood thirteen times as vast. Additionally, in 2013, “Oxfam
informed that the richest 85 publics in the domain maintained the same volume of affluence as
the lowliest partial of the domain’s populace” (Hallin & Mancini, 2011).
Currently the domain is considerably more multifaceted than the “Brandt route represents--- as
many mediocre kingdoms have experienced substantial economic plus social expansion”.
However, disparity within dominions has likewise been developing and some reporters currently
discourse about “Global North” as well as “Global South” mentioning correspondingly to
wealthier or subordinate societies which are set of connections individually categorized above
and beyond relating to republics. For instance, whilst India still remains home to the leading
attentiveness of poor populaces in a particular homeland it correspondingly has a specific and
comfortable middle class besides precisely gorgeous elite class. There stand many reasons for
these dissimilarities comprising the obtainability of natural possessions; diverse levels of
wellbeing and learning; the environment of a nation’s economy besides its industrialized
sectors; transnational trading strategies as well as right of entry to marketplaces; how nations
are administered and worldwide dealings amongst countries; encounter within and
concerning nations; and a kingdom’s susceptibility to natural vulnerabilities and
transformation of weather (Esser & Hanitzsch, 2012).
The Indonesian Context
The mass means of broadcasting in individually printed plus electronic resources is now and
again labeled as support of democracy. The corpus resources in Indonesia have experienced a
thoughtful, even far-reaching modification. From being principally inhibited, suppressed, and
perceptively maltreated, it turned out to remain comparatively unrestricted and free. It is
endeavored to assess the influence of the mass media on administrative revolution in Indonesia.
In this study, the focus lies on responding to the starring role of the form of media on radical
performance and the magnitude of contributing elements on Indonesian dogmatic modification.
Indonesia has been experiencing an extraordinary transformation in relations to social, political,
3 | P a g e

as well as cultural dynamics over the preceding three eras. Factually, the nation inspired and has
been governed by miscellaneous political principles from “conducted egalitarianism” in the
deep-rooted direction; “developmentalism” in the new-fangled directive; “reformasi” era in the
replacement stage; while coming up with the existing system–which unswervingly and
secondarily also outlines the enlargement of mass means of broadcasting of events (Carpenter &
Ekdale, 2019).
A survey of 225 newsprint correspondents from six newspapers in Jakarta revealed that
Political possession does not have emotional impact on the preparation of values unswervingly.
The gradation of political possession is related to involvement practices in the news studio,
which ultimately upsets the preparation of specialized values by correspondents”. Reporters
working for identifications with robust ties to policymaking are further in the cards to understand
the contributions in the workplace of broadcasting news. These interpositions make enthusiastic
professional standards more difficult, once they remain in conflict with administrative welfares
of the proprietor (Ekayanti & Xiaoming, 2018).
Journalists have habits of evading or deciding these encounters. More than half of the reporters
of the respondents expressed that they think through media possession before linking the
newspaper they effort for. The correspondents who are restrained to radical interferences were
additionally expected to sidestep newspapers with robust political associations. The environment
of media autonomy is fluctuating in imperative but unexamined traditions in the “Southeast
Asian constituency, predominantly in Indonesia”. Over and done with over 240 million
populaces, Indonesia stands as the fourth most overcrowded nation in the domain; it remains the
leading Muslim republic and has transitioned as of thirty years of totalitarianism to turn into a
fundamentally fruitful democracy. Consequently of this changeover, Indonesia’s media
progressed ‘from dimness into light’ as well as Indonesians currently are active in an age of
countless media independence than ever occurred under the instruction of earlier president (Flew
& Waisbord, 2015).
Theoretical viewpoints and Convergent attitudes
As Indonesian inhabitants hold the Internet as well as social media over new portable
technologies, some investigators and audiences trust that newfangled technologies will inevitably
4 | P a g e

promote and encourage superior patterns of media independence. Nevertheless examinations
leads by investigators still consider Indonesia’s mass media as ‘Partially Free’. In the utmost
recent international review on media autonomy, the Journalists without Limitations as per 2013
--Index “positions Indonesia 139th out of 179 republics. Indonesia’s place has fallen markedly as
its place of 57th out of 139 nations in 2002 (Reporters without Borders, 2013). This analysis
discourses the challenging consequences that even though new tools and stages are authorizing
for greater multiplicity of outlooks in Indonesia, the situation of media autonomy appears to
degenerate (Tapsell, 2019).
This study highlights the “convergence era” where innovative mobile in addition to digital
technologies are demanding the media production to move in fresh directives of amalgamation,
harmonization and evolution. The epistemological values of Western media dealt
considerably with the “self-preoccupation and provincialism”. It articulates that “some parallel
states keep recurring as if they represent a substitute intended for the rest of the domain”. They
stand practically at all times as rich Western cultures. Far along thirteen years, slight changes
have transfigured. Convergence has been labeled as “a rebellion which strokes the media
productions” (Husband, 2017). It is a catchphrase that is applied to clarify the new era in media
businesses around the domain.
Yet intellectual studies regarding the revolt of media convergence focus principally on “United
States as well as the United Kingdom” It ought not to be anticipated that the consequence of
convergence is universalized or else academically indomitable. The procedure can be
administered through various political, mechanized, historic and financial settings wherein
provincial authorities can generate valuable and pioneering exploration. The peculiarity and
relation among technological as well as commercial convergence is at present an imperative
trend in exceedingly industrialized republics (Masduki, 2017).
Empirical standpoints
Some researchers have deliberated a crucial requirement to scrutinize the convergence method in
nations other than US; nevertheless no study has examined convergence in the vibrant and
transformative background of media within the Southeastern regions of Asia. This assessment on
media convergence delivers precisely different latitude to examine on convergence at the West
5 | P a g e

as a result of developing “digital division” in the area and the formerly revealed poor levels of
media autonomy currently prevailing in Indonesia (Tapsell, 2019).
According to the review of Masduki (2017), convergence is realized as the progression of media
corporations that formerly focused on a single platform (for instance print, wireless, television or
else online forms) currently establishing larger, multi-platform broadcasting firms. The
technological conjunction of stages transpires as a result of the digitalization in the settings of
“media content”, triggering “old as well as newer resources to crash” which shoots marketable
convergence, where progressively monopolistic media companies are founding influential
“multi-dimensional oligopolies”. Media proprietors remain in the procedure of transfiguring
their resources to generate multi-platform ‘newsflash facilities’. Formerly distinct workplaces of
newspapers as well as TV stations were harmonized. Journalists are retitled as ‘content suppliers’
and publishing supervisor as custodians of this stuff (Nugroho, Siregar & Laksmi, 2012).
Communications of Citizens, where the wide-ranging community holds the part of reporters and
news material is firmly becoming integrated into conventional media with the content of news
bulletin, gradually fashioned for mobile drives for instance, the “iPad and iPhone or else
Blackberry”.
This evaluation takes along together the review of two serious issues in the modern media
setting: media autonomy and platform of convergence. Convergence as well as media autonomy
at Indonesia involves imperative study with respect to the growing foundation of oligopolies in
fabrication of media that affects the delivery of information, judgment and the expression of
representativeness as able to be determined by the community. Accordingly, convergence is
delivering an opening for evidence to turn out to be more focused, organized and cartelized
(Esser & Hanitzsch, 2012).
The Australian Media Policy
The Australian Sector of Foreign Affairs besides Skill issued the Digital Media Plan during
2016-18. These monitors the preceding Public Mediation Policy 2014–16 circulated in 2014 as
well as rationalized in the preceding few years. This change has been invigorated by the Minister
who well-thought-out the discovery of emoji negotiation – who is currently leading the
Australian international relations from the farsightedness of the 2014-16 plan toward a more
6 | P a g e

reliable digital preparation. The foremost objectives of the innovative digital approach stand
to prepare, listen, describe, engage as well as influence. The formation of a timeline of
indicators licenses both citizens and the administration to reflect the enhancements in the process
of the strategy. The plan silently engages some catchwords that the works on Communal
Mediation has documented as challenging; particularly in the event of the term “engagement”
that needs more amplification (O’Donnell, 2018).
The Australian emphasis on listening distinguishes and stretches significance to an action that is
decided as crucial in the “New Communal International relations”. In line with the Plan,
“Parliamentary as well as Media Division drives to accomplish a variety of high-level network in
addition to social media broadcasting and analytical apparatuses that would classify influential
assemblies and discussions, track sensitive feelings headed for Australian policy, extent the
sector’s global communal reach as well as empower centralized broadcasting on the development
of key movements”. These monitoring events can be branded as “instrumental noticing”, as
they appear to respond towards “self-serving queries that administrations need to ask”.
Lastly, the strategy indicates to “implements for social media directors” without stipulating the
characteristic elements of these apparatuses. There remains a constant critical argument on
communal media analytics in addition to the procedure of arresting, analyzing and envisaging
data, identifying that “data ought to be assumed as an approach of politics”. The exclusive
pattern of epistemological concerns favors the hypothetical impartiality of digital facts, as the
indifference of records stretches an awareness of unconventionality or a category of “previously
inaccessible empirical information” (Husband, 2017).
Comparative viewpoints
In Indonesian epistemology, Convergence stands correspondingly for providing better
multiplicity of view and manifestation over a diversity of platforms and channels, predominantly
connecting social media and citizen reporting. There are presently varied opinions as to whether
convergence stands to promote or challenge “media autonomy”, as it presents both intimidations
and prospects. This assessment reacts to the argument by probing the existing background of the
Indonesian broadcasting over empirical exploration on Indonesian media corporations. It drives
to comprise individual conferences with crucial players within the Indonesian broadcasting
7 | P a g e

industry, who are employing convergent approaches. In specific instances, chief publishing
manager of key news establishments in Jakarta (Indonesia’s principal city where foremost media
corporations maintain their significant workplaces) pursued subsequently for consultations, as
they perform a dominant role within the preparation of convergence method (Hallin & Mancini,
2004).
A superficial aspect of countrywide media behaviors in Indonesia at present would discover that
TV (to a smaller stage, radio) controls the media marketplace. TV still remains the standard with
the greatest reach and acceptance, over 49 million TV-owning families. In spite of its extensive
distribution, radio is disappearing in status. The prospect of newspapers is miserable as in the US
or Australian nation. Indonesia is only slow to respond, and rapidly it will remain all virtual and
precisely different. Indonesia is well-thought-out as a young republic with an intermediate stage
of 28 (associated to approximately 38 in Australia besides 40 in Britain). Intrinsically, the focus
of media businesses in this innovative digital age remains on the upcoming years, predominantly,
young folks’ media behaviors. The possession rate of mobile phones is rising, and Indonesia is
predictable to grow into the domain’s fourth leading mobile phone marketplace. One-third of
publics operate a mobile handset to link to the services of Internet among those who avail the
technological applications based on internet architecture (Nugroho, Siregar, & Laksmi, 2012).
In Australian Context, Exponential development in digital infrastructures remains a
challenge. Driven by skill, the public services background is more overfilled than ever. Through
a fast multiplying number of accessible voices, the rivalry for responsiveness has on no occasion
been superior. Challenge gifts chance. Improved digital commitment offers the resources to
connect healthily with administration and non-government establishments, business as well as
community clusters, and pull on these discussions to project and transport receptive policies,
packages and facilities (Hallin & Mancini, 2011).
Taking accomplishment to encounter this digital experiment is the determination of this plan. It
sketches how the subdivision, and the staff, can understand the objective of fetching digital
transmission of data by default. This policy is thoroughly associated to every additional part of
the section’s restructuring program. A digital through default method will benefit to construct
competence, work with renovation, and empower to cut rules and regulations, authorize
operators and agree to effort more compliantly. “DFAT’s movements” are measure of a
8 | P a g e

comprehensive Australian Administration and Australian Communal Service assurance to using
innovative technologies, comprising digital media, to grasp a more exposed, translucent and
consultative method of management (Flew, Iosifidis & Steemers, 2016).
Conclusion
Native and general newspapers are setting off correspondents as well as, in some circumstances,
terminating designations. Local wireless stations, continually in a fairly unwarrantable position,
are irritable that they cannot accomplish their native news requirements. In such anticipated
challenging intervals, a commercial resolution is frequently projected which increases major
queries of divergent attitude as well as agreement in a democratic unification. Using an
additional stress-free method to blend governments and opposition, the disagreement pushes
susceptible media creativities to be liberated with an optimistic outcome for native economies
and indigenous democracy.
9 | P a g e

References
Carpenter, J. C., & Ekdale, B. (2019). Service at the Intersection of Journalism, Language, and
the Global Imaginary: Indonesia’s English-language press. Journalism Studies, 20(1), 136-153.
Ekayanti, M., & Xiaoming, H. (2018). Journalism and political affiliation of the media: Influence
of ownership on Indonesian newspapers. Journalism, 19(9-10), 1326-1343.
Esser, F., & Hanitzsch, T. (2012). Handbook of comparative communication research. New
York: Routledge,Routledge Ltd - M.U.A,Taylor and Francis,Taylor & Francis Group.
doi:10.4324/9780203149102
Flew, T., & Waisbord, S. (2015). The ongoing significance of national media systems in the
context of media globalization. Media, Culture & Society, 37(4), 620–636.
doi:10.1177/0163443714566903
Flew, T., Iosifidis, P., & Steemers, J. (2016). Global Media and National Policies: The Return of
the State. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK,Palgrave Macmillan
Hallin, D. C., & Mancini, P. (2004). Comparing media systems. In Comparing media systems :
three models of media and politics (pp. 21–45). .Cambridge U.K. ; New York : Cambridge
University Press.
Husband, C. (2017). Framing inclusive journalism: Between necessary idealism and essential
realism. Journal of Applied Journalism and Media Studies, 6(3), 425–442.
Masduki, M. (2017). Media and Politics: Re-Thinking the Indonesian Broadcasting
System. Jurnal Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik, 21(1), 14-27.
Nugroho, Y., Siregar, M. F., & Laksmi, S. (2012). Mapping media policy in Indonesia. Centre
for Innovation Policy and Governance.
O’Donnell, P. (2018). Australian journalists at work : Their views on employment, unionization,
and professional identity. In Critical Perspectives on Journalistic Beliefs and Actions: Global
Experiences. (pp. 24–34). Routledge.
10 | P a g e

Tapsell, R. (2019). Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?
doi=10.1.1.1019.3313&rep=rep1&type=pdf
.
11 | P a g e