Access to Media

Media access means the opportunity and ability to use media technology for the production, distribution, and reception of mass communication intended for public audiences. In most commercial media renderings and politician pronouncements, media access is restricted to reception of analog or digital transmissions, including Internet sites. Even the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, Article 19, which declares access to the “means to communicate” a human right, emphasizes receiving information, with only passing references to citizen participation in media production.

Media access provides a measure of democracy and entails more than viewing or listening. To maximize democratic participation by diverse publics, individuals and groups must have full access to the technologies necessary for the production and distribution of mass communication, including the means for print, broadcast, ...