New digital threats to media pluralism in the information age

Abstract

The proliferation of news and information has reached unprecedented levels. Notwithstanding this apparent richness, increasing doubts about the quality and diversity of online news have grown for many years. The list of threats to information online is quite long. In this essay, we concentrate on economic, quality and social threats, with the goal of starting to address a few fundamental questions: is pluralistic and quality information an endangered public good in the digital age? What responses are available to preserve media pluralism and a professional process of information production as the necessary tools for a democratic society?