The American Media System versus il Sistema dei Media Italiano: A Comparison between the U.S. and Italy
A map of Italy and its surrounding countries. Source: https://www.infoplease.com/atlas/italy Italy is a European country often known for its television and art, and thus has a strong media influence. The country’s population is 96% Italian, and 93% of the population speaks Italian as a native language; however, bordering countries including Switzerland, France, Slovenia and Austria have influenced its culture. Family is a very important value for most Italians, and this influences their cultural practices . 1 Economically, Italy has a “diversified industrial economy.” While the North is developed and mostly consists of private companies, the South is moreso agricultural and welfare-dependent. Many companies are small or medium-sized, and family owned . 2 Many enterprise owners support close political friends. Politically, Italy is classified as a republic, and Italy’s partisanship has decreased throughout history. Political parallelism still exists within media, however, and it