Most Austrian newsrooms do not have codified rules on internal pluralism – public service television being the exception. Leading newsrooms are undertaking efforts to extend the range of voices represented by the media.
Audience participation happens by posting comments online in some web-editions of newspapers and by analogue letters to the editor. Austrian newsrooms are not open to citizens’ participation.
Self-regulation occurs rather informally; institutionalised or codified rules and procedures are rare.
The self-governed code of ethics for print media is well respected. For audiovisual and Internet-based media no national code exists (only company rules).
Publicly available institutionalised and independent media monitoring instruments are rare in Austria.
All news media have moderate sales prices compared to the average income of Austrian households. Prices for cultural expenditures have remained stable, or have even been decreasing, over the past ten years.
The availability and institutionalization of minority media depends on whether or not the minority is legally recognized. Overall, a wide range of minority media are available; however, their reach is limited.
Austrian news media provide for a large variety of different news formats, from headline-news online to long-reads in newspapers and background features on radio and television. All different categories are covered, including local, national and international news as well as politics, economy, current affairs, culture and sport sections.
On a regional level ownership concentration is remaining remarkably high. In most Austrian regions one newspaper is dominant; the public service broadcaster still dominates the local radio market.
Ownership concentration on a national level remains remarkably high as a few big media companies divide the market among them.
The Media for Democracy Monitor (MDM) is a research project from The Euromedia Research Group. This is a network of researchers that collects and exchanges information that help to describe and analyse developments in media structure and policy in Europe.
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