Libros

Foreword: Media freedom in Europe

The media play an enormously important role in the protection of
human rights. They expose human rights violations and offer an arena
for different voices to be heard in public discourse. Not without reason,
the media have been called the Fourth Estate – an essential addition
to the powers of the executive, the legislature and the judiciary.
However, the power of the media can also be misused to the extent
that the very functioning of democracy is threatened. Some media
outlets have been turned into propaganda megaphones for those in
power. Others have been used to incite xenophobic hatred and violence
against minorities and other vulnerable groups.
The purpose of journalism is not to please those who hold power or to
serve as the mouthpiece of governments. Journalists report, investigate
and analyse, they inform us about politics, religion, celebrities, the arts,
sports, revolutions and wars. They entertain and sometimes annoy us.
But most important of all, they are “public watchdogs”.
This role is fundamental for democracy. Free, independent and pluralistic
media based on freedom of information and expression are a
core element of any functioning democracy.
Freedom of the media is also essential for the protection of all other
human rights. There are many examples where the misuse of power,
corruption, discrimination and even torture have come to light because
of the work of investigative journalists. Making the facts known to
the public is often the first, essential step in redressing human rights
violations and holding those in power accountable.
Public authorities, civil society and the international community, as
well as media owners and journalists’ organisations, all have important
roles to play that reach from law enforcement, education, monitoring
and setting universal standards to ethical conduct and self-regulation.
The way in which national legislation enshrines media freedom and its
practical application by the authorities reveals the state of democracy
in the country concerned.

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Children today are growing up in an increasingly commercialised world. But should we see them as victims of manipulative marketing, or as competent participants in consumer culture?

The Material Child provides a comprehensive critical overview of debates about children’s changing engagement with the commercial market. It moves from broad overviews of the theory and history of children’s consumption to insightful case studies of key areas such as obesity, sexualisation, children’s broadcasting and education.

In the process, it challenges much of the received wisdom about the effects of advertising and marketing, arguing for a more balanced account that locates children’s consumption within a broader analysis of social relationships, for example within the family and the peer group. While refuting the popular view of children as incompetent and vulnerable consumers that is adopted by many campaigners, it also rejects the easy celebration of consumption as an expression of children’s power and autonomy.

Written by one of the leading international scholars in the field, The Material Child will be of interest to students, researchers and policy-makers, as well as parents, teachers and others who work directly with children.