Hafez, Kai. Translated by Alex Skinner. The Myth of Media Globalization.

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Hafez, Kai. Translated by Alex Skinner. The Myth of Media Globalization. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press, 2007. 232 pages. Hardcover $59.95 Paper $ 24.95.

Kai Hafez makes the point that no global public media sphere has been yet established. Hafez explains how it is a lot simpler to provide evidence of film exports than of cross-border media use. His empirical evidence is dependent on systems theory that estimates the influence of elites on the development of a society. The focus on the political elite explains the nonexistence of any effect by those who are marginalized.

Globalization is a myth that fuses truth and falsehood, mixes facts with exaggerated projections, and entails a utopian promise for a better world. In fact, international media relations are not growing in importance, nor is a global public media sphere emerging. Revisionist scholarly debates in media studies say that the consumption of foreign media is declining and the notion of a "global village" where the media report everything and reach all the citizens of planet earth is questioned. But such views receive little attention.

Hafez examines international reporting, satellite television, film and program imports, the internet, and international broadcasting. On international reporting he posits that the American media failed to explain the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1978-1979. This trend continues until today. He notes that the global non-dialogue following 11 September 2001 appears in focus where Islam and terrorism intersect. In Germany, where the author lives, reporting on Islam takes a central stage when the media asks how "Islamic terrorism" can be dealt with.

Cross-border satellite television makes it impossible to speak of a direct "democratization effect." Al-Jazeera shows the multiple forms and effects of the...