| This study examines the dynamics of political economy of mass communication based on an integrated framework of political economy: politicism on power and control, and economism on profit and competition. A theoretical model, namely, commodification vs. politicization, illustrates the dialectic of political and economic constraints on the media, including: ownership, advertising, circulation, affiliation and ideology. The study employs multiple quantitative and qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews, content and textual analysis, market analysis, opinion polls and case studies. During the political transition, the structure of political economy transformed from a pre-mature cartel-protected capitalist market to a mature capitalist market characterized by an ever-increasing competition. The press system once characterized significantly by ideology-as-news had then also to consider news also as a commodity under a free capitalist market. While it would be best to optimize the political and economic forces, the two forces are often contradictory. On the market side, the press has to regard itself as a commodity and consider competition in terms of ownership, circulation and advertising factors but these factors were also distorted by political intentions associated with political affiliation and ideological factors. On the political side, when media had to report political affairs, they could wield economic and market powers to offer resistance against dominant ideology and any political affiliates, or else they would be subjected to political control at the expenses of the market demand. However, political controls that completely subjugated the press was rare. Rather, the press system moved toward commodification but it exhibited the phenomenon of both politicized commodification and of apolitical commodification. While the majority of the papers remained apolitical and appealed to mass tastes, and on occasion subjected themselves to control, a few profitable papers were able to simultaneously commercialize and politicize critical events to challenge the authorities, as well as to reap profits. This implies that Hong Kong's future press freedom depends on how the economic resists the political. Should the market align with the civic public, the press has to respond to the demand of the public regardless of political control, and only as such can press freedom prevail. |
