英國媒體併購管制中的公共利益－「新聞集團」併購「天空衛視」

Public Interests in UK's Media Merger Regulations: A Case Study of the News Corp/BSkyB Merger

林麗雲(Lih-Yun Lin)

《傳播研究與實踐》 3卷2期 (2013/07) Pp. 87-112

摘要

本文分析英國媒體併購管制中公共利益的價值，並從重要案例（「新聞集團」併購「天空衛視」）中分析在政治的過程中哪些價值受到重視與彰顯。根據本文分析，在英國的管制中媒體併購關乎特殊公共利益，不只包括經濟面市場競爭價值，還有政治面民主多元與社會面社會責任等價值。在「新聞集團」併購「天空衛視」案審理過程中，雖然保守黨與財團結盟，但仍需受法律規範節制，且反對此案之社會團體與媒體也從公共利益角度論述。論者重視民主多元價值，竊聽案發生後社會責任與適格性成為重點。根據本文之分析，在政治過程中完備之法律規範與社會行動有助於維護公共利益。

關鍵字

媒體併購 ； 公共利益 ； 政治過程 ； 英國 ； 梅鐸

並列摘要

How public interests are reflected in media merger regulation? How in a specific case, various aspects of public interests are addressed in the political process? Taking as example the famous News Corp/BSkyB merger case, this paper examines how UK's media merger regulatory regime really works. Having analyzed the political process in this case, the author makes clear that in UK regulations, media mergers are considered as something to do with special public interests, which are not only economic-such as market competition, but also socio-political- such as democratic diversity and social responsibilities.As laid out in the regulatory framework, the News Corp/BskyB merger should go through the public interests test, despites the alliance between Conservative Party and Rupert Murdock. Activists who argued against the case were based more on plurality-related values in the beginning, but then concerned more with values of social responsibilities (”fit and proper”) after the phone hacking scandal broke out. In conclusion, the author suggests that public interests can only be safeguarded by a healthy legal framework, and strengthened by caring social activists.

並列關鍵字

media merger ； public interests ； political process theory ； UK ； Rupert Murdock