Media Transparency is the concept of determining how and why Information is conveyed through various means.

This is a specific case of the topic, Transparency (humanities). Transparency, as used in the humanities, implies openness and accountability. It is a metaphorical extension of the meaning used in the physical sciences: a transparent object is one that can be seen through.

In communication studies, Media is transparent when: *there are many, often competing, sources of information *much is known about the method of information delivery *the funding of media production is publicly available

Aspects of transparent media include open source documentation, open meetings, financial disclosure statements, the freedom of information legislation, budgetary review, audit, peer review, etc.

Some organisations and networks insist that not only the ordinary information of interest to the community is made freely available, but that all (or nearly all) meta-levels of organising and .

Media Transparency may also refer to the nonprofit organization of the same name devoted to providing information on right-wing funding, especially as it relates to United States media.

=Example=

When an organization (corporate, government, non-profit, or other) holds a meeting and the procedings are open to the public and the press, when the meeting is: *broadcast over radio *reviewed on television *reported in newsprint *journalized on weblogs The meeting is more transparent because there is less opportunity for the organization to abuse the system of information delivery in their own interest. This assumes that the organization does not own or otherwise affect the media conveying the information.

=Related Terms=

*Distortion: involves some level of undue or inappropriate interference in the media through funding sources, personal or organizational bias, or some other influence.

=See Also=

*Communication *Competition *Journalism **Journalism ethics and standards **Yellow Journalism *Mass Communication *Mass Media *Media bias *Market transparency

=External Links=

[http://www.transparency.org Transparency International]