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An international team of renowned scholars around Leipzig Professor Christian Pentzold and his colleague from QUT Aljosha Karim Schapals has unveiled Media Compass: A Companion to International Media Landscapes, a comprehensive reference work exploring the media systems of 45 countries worldwide. This interdisciplinary volume examines both long-term media systems and current trends in media usage, combining country-specific analyses with cross-regional studies.

Media Compass provides an in-depth mapping of global media environments, featuring up-to-date empirical surveys of individual countries and regions, as well as cross-country comparisons in areas of public communication. The 45 entries guide readers from general overviews to detailed discussions of specific media landscapes, covering key factors such as political, social, demographic, cultural, and economic conditions. Historical developments, current issues, and emerging challenges are also addressed.

Designed for easy reference, the volume allows quick access to individual country entries while also enabling comparative analysis of a country’s position within the broader media landscape. Media Compass: A Companion to International Media Landscapes is an important resource for libraries and academic institutions, and a helpful compendium for students, educators, scholars, and professionals in communication and media studies, journalism, and media production.

Available now at major bookstores and online retailers.

About the editors:

Aljosha Karim Schapals is Senior Lecturer in Journalism, School of Communication, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia, where he is Chief Investigator in the Digital Media Research Centre (DMRC). He is Reviews Editor for Media International Australia and the author of Peripheral Actors in Journalism. He has published articles in journals including Digital Journalism and Journalism Practice, and served as Lead Editor of Digitizing Democracy. 

Christian Pentzold is Professor of Media and Communication, Department for Communication and Media Studies, Leipzig University, Germany. He has published widely in journals such as Media, Culture & Society, New Media & Society, Digital Journalism, and Convergence. He has edited several books including the Handbook of Peer Production, part of the Wiley-Blackwell Handbooks in Communication and Media series.