[ecrea] New Book: Media Independence

I hope this new book will be of interest to many:

Media Independence: working with freedom or working for free?
http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9781138023482/

Media independence is central to the organization, make-up, working 
practices and output of media systems across the globe. Often stemming 
from western notions of individual and political freedoms, independence 
has informed the development of media across a range of platforms: from 
the freedom of the press as the "fourth estate" and the rise of 
Hollywood’s Independent studios and Independent television in Britain, 
through to the importance of "Indy" labels in music and gaming and the 
increasing importance of independence of voice in citizen journalism. 
Media independence for many, therefore, has come to mean working with 
freedom: from state control or interference, from monopoly, from market 
forces, as well as freedom to report, comment, create and document 
without fear of persecution. However, far from a stable concept that 
informs all media systems, the notion of media independence has long 
been contested, forming a crucial tension point in the regulation, 
shape, size and role of the media around the globe.

Contributors including David Hesmondhalgh, Gholam Khiabany, José van 
Dijck, Hector Postigo, Anthony Fung, Stuart Allan and Geoff King 
demonstrate how the notion of independence has remained paramount, but 
contested, in ideals of what the media is for, how it should be 
regulated, what it should produce and what working within it should be 
like. They address questions of economics, labor relations, production 
cultures, ideologies and social functions.
Reviews

"Bennett and Strange have assembled an original, wide-ranging 
interrogation of 'independence' as it is mobilized across media 
industries and national contexts. Together, the essays in this book 
breathe new life into this often-abused and misused term, making an 
impassioned case for protecting true independent vision and values in 
our media culture." -Jennifer Holt, Associate Professor of Film and 
Media Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA

"Bennett and Strange’s collection impressively maps the varied 
sociopolitical, aesthetic, industrial and rhetorical meanings of 'media 
independence' even as it grounds the concept in rich case studies 
covering film, television, gaming, music, the Internet and more. Media 
Independence is an invaluable resource for thinking through the complex 
dynamics of creativity, work and industry across a range of contemporary 
national contexts. A must read." - Alisa Perren, Associate Professor in 
the Department of Radio-TV-Film, University of Texas at Austin, USA
Dr James Bennett
Head of Department
Media Arts
Creative, Critical, Compelling

Royal Holloway,
University of London
Egham
TW20 0EX
Twitter:

@james_a_bennett
@rhulmediaarts
Ph: 01784 443 940
Fax: 01784 443 832



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