Media systems: Japan, Canada, United Kingdom

In this post, I will discuss what I believe to be the primary and secondary media systems in Japan, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Japan ...
I see Japan as an authoritarian system with a secondary Communist system. Japan's authoritarian system may not be as extreme as it has been in the past or as extreme as other countries may be, but it still has multiple values of an authoritarian system. The government is very controlling, with cross-media ownership restricted by law. Also, Japan's political system has paved the way for Liberal Democratic Party to take away many of the journalistic freedoms that media in other countries have. The Ministry of Public Management has rules and regulations that it imposes with respect to political impartiality. The needs and interests of the individual media forms are sacrificed for the needs of society, which is a clear Communist ideal.

Canada ...
I would describe Canada as a social responsibility system with a libertarian philosophy as its secondary system. Media are relatively free from the government, but television broadcasting and publication sectors need a certain degree of intervention from the government in order to make a profit. Because Canada is such a small market, the film industry needs help as well.

United Kingdom ...
I see the media systems in U.K. media very similar to those of Canada. I think that the United Kingdom has many values of a social responsibility system with splashes of libertarianism. There is public accountability with laws and regulations in the U.K. A large portion of legislation relates directly in some way to media. But freedom of expression is protected, and no form really has a monopoly on truth. This system could change with the future of the BBC in doubt. There is discussion that the BBC distorts the market, even though it is the largest public service broadcaster in the U.K.