In this book, distributional justice theories developed by John Rawls and Amartya Sen are applied to the governance of today's media, proposing a fresh, and innovative assessment of the potential role for media in society. Three case studies describe the utilization of new media by marginalized communities in Israel - Ethiopian immigrants, the Bedouin and Palestinians - and set the stage for media policy scholars, teachers and students to discuss an analytic framework for media policy that is fresh, different, innovative and original. Departing from the utilitarian principles that dominate Western liberal regimes, and that have led to the proliferation of media systems in which control is concentrated in the hands of the few, this work proposes an alternative that focuses on redistributing power and voice.
Introduction.- Part I: Theories of New Media.- 1.The Novelty in New Media.- 2.The Utility of New Media.- Part II: Justice, democracy and media policy.- 3.Competing Theories of Justice.- 4.Justice and Democracy.- 5.Media Policy and Theories of Justice.- Part III: Case Studies, Contemporary Media's Capabilities in Practice.- 6.The Digital Divide in Israel.- 7.Ethiopian Immigrants and the perception of Media Shula Mola.- 8.Arakeeb (aka Al Araqib) and Uses of New Media.- 9.iNakba and Realizing the Potential of New Media.- Conclusion: Social Justice and Communications Policy in Transition.
Amit M. Schejter is Professor and Head of the Department of Communication Studies at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel and Co-director of the Institute for Information Policy at Penn State University, USA.
Noam Tirosh is a post-doctoral fellow at the Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israel Studies at Northwestern University, USA
