Featuring specially commissioned chapters from experts in the field of media and communications law, this book provides an authoritative survey of media law from a comparative perspective.

The handbook does not simply offer a synopsis of the state of affairs in media law jurisprudence, rather it provides a better understanding of the forces that generate media rules, norms, and standards against the background of major transformations in the way information is mediated as a result of democratization, economic development, cultural change, globalization and technological innovation.

The book addresses a range of issues including:

Media Law and Evolving Concepts of Democracy

Network neutrality and traffic management

Public Service Broadcasting in Europe

Interception of Communication and Surveillance in Russia

State secrets, leaks and the media

A variety of rule-making institutions are considered, including administrative, and judicial entities within and outside government, but also entities such as associations and corporations that generate binding rules. The book assesses the emerging role of supranational economic and political groupings as well as non-Western models, such as China and India, where cultural attitudes toward media freedoms are often very different.

Monroe E. Price is Director of the Center for Global Communication Studies at the Annenberg School for the University of Pennsylvania and Joseph and Sadie Danciger Professor of Law and Director of the Howard M. Squadron Program in Law, Media and Society at the Cardozo School of Law.

Stefaan Verhulst is Chief of Research at the Markle Foundation. Previously he was the co-founder and co-director, with Professor Monroe Price, of the Programme in Comparative Media Law and Policy (PCMLP) at Oxford University, as well as senior research fellow at the Centre for Socio Legal Studies.

Libby Morgan is the Associate Director of the Center for Global Communication Studhe Annenberg School for the University of Pennsylvania.
Reviews

'In our digital age, understanding the landscape of media law is essential not just to legal experts, but to companies, policy makers, and the public at large. This is simply the best book on the market – informed, rich, elucidating and full of insights. Highly recommended!' Viktor Mayer-Schönberger, Professor of Internet Governance and Regulation, University of Oxford, UK

'Media law is a key aspect of the fast increasing role of the media in our ever more interconnected world. Understanding the rapidly evolving legal frameworks that govern the media across the globe is vital. Researchers, policymakers, and activists alike could not wish for a better resource than the Routledge Handbook of Media Law. Its first-rate contributors provide a comprehensive and authoritative tour d´horizon of a fascinating field. The comparative and multi-disciplinary perspective is thoroughly c...