Media stakeholders in ICT policy

I've been thinking about the different roles that the media can play in policy and it occurred to me that I've taken for granted the fact that the media SHOULD play a role in ICT policy. Perhaps the reason that there is so little research on the role of the media in media and ICT policy is because they have no interest in the policy?

Of course I don't really believe that. The media HAVE to play a role in media and ICT policy because it affects the work they do at so many levels - be it the political landscape they work in; the freedom of information, expression or distribution they have; or their relationship to their audiences and society. It is a difficult position the media find themselves in. On the one hand they are commercial enterprises trying to make as much money as possible by trading in information. On the other hand, they are perceived to be responsible for informing and educating society in an objective and impartial way (something I think is quite unreasonable, but still expected by society).

In order to influence policy in the best way possible, the media have to take both these roles into account and work towards balancing them in a way that ensures the policy fulfil's their interests as businesses, but also the interests of their audiences.

Just a few thoughts as I try to figure out my own ideas about the research I'm doing.