The question of relations between the media and political powers is a crucial one for all the democracies of western, central and eastern Europe. Should the legal system confine itself to guaranteeing media freedoms in the hope that competition will operate to prevent any extensive influence by one or other group ? Should it provide for a guarantee of a certain balance in the media as between public and private law bodies? These questions have acquired a new dimension in recent years in western Europe, as a result of developments in technology. These problems are all the greater in central and eastern Europe, where freedom of expression has been re-established only recently. This book sets out the reflections on these issues of contributors from diverse legal and media backgrounds.