Anselm Küsters and Matthias Störring have authored a paper for the Ludwig Erhard Forum exploring the role of private media in Germany from a regulatory policy perspective. Notably, public broadcasters are intentionally left out of the analysis — and for good reason. The authors argue that private media play a central role in holding democratic institutions accountable.
As the paper rightly points out, major digital and social media platforms are both competitors and collaborators for traditional media outlets. This dual relationship opens up meaningful avenues for regulation — particularly in shaping advertising markets and ensuring fair competition. (MB)