Post-Communist Eastern Europe: The Difficult Birth of a Free Press

A paper by Bernard Margueritte, fall 1993 fellow, surveys the state of the press in Eastern Europe after the fall of the Iron Curtain. With weak training and standards, intense competition, and an invasion of Western investors, managers and press models, Eastern European media outlets faced numerous challenges. Attempts at serious journalism competed against sensationalist tabloids. Party operatives often came into possession of valuable media properties, and Western entrepreneurs emphasized profits over civic values. Despite these challenges to the creation of a robust press, Margueritte also finds encouraging signs, and outlines and evaluates steps for action.

Download the paper (PDF).