Media companies are in the midst of fundamental transformation. For those reconfiguring their business models, consolidation into larger entities seems an obvious strategy for survival and there's growing pressure for a more relaxed approach to concentration of media ownership. Such industrial pragmatism, however, collides with the need for diversity of voice in a healthy democracy.

Such tensions raise crucial questions about the nature and significance of different ownership regimes for journalism. It's important that we understand the trajectory of current policy thinking and explore alternative and more creative policy initiatives which might promote diversity without prejudicing business interests. Media Ownership, Journalism and Diversity analyses these issues within the UK using evidence gathered from personal interviews with senior policy makers and through analysis of evidence to a 2008 House of Lords select inquiry committee on news and media ownership, for which the author was specialist advisor. The material is set within a broader international context, and up through the period of the crises enveloping News Corp.