Mapping digital media

Gianpietro Mazzoleni, Giulio Vigevani

The Mapping Digital Media project examines the global opportunities and risks created by the transition from traditional to digital media. Covering 60 countries, the project examines how these changes affect the core democratic service that any media system should provide: news about political, economic, and social affairs. Digital terrestrial television was introduced in Italy in 2001. The switch-off of analog broadcasting started in 2009 and is based on the progressive digitization of regional areas. The deadline for the definitive switch-over from analog to digital broadcasting is set for December 31, 2012. The television set remains the most common media device in Italian households. National television news and traditional newspapers are the media sources most used by Italians to obtain news about politics and daily events. However, the percentage of Italians whose sole source of...