The analyses presented in this volume provide the foundations for attempting to diagnose the mainstream media discourse as a space for public deliberation. We perceive this space normatively, from the angle of the characteristics discussed above, such as inclusiveness, diversity of points of view, dialogical-ity, strength of argument, looking for the points of contact and mapping the differences between groups of actors, as well as their forming of coalitions and oppositions. The objective of this is to identify social problems and guidelines for their resolution, which then become the object of public policies. Important here is transparent presentation of interests, with priority given to the public interest - in the sense both of the good of the majority and of a beneficial resolution of problems for disadvantaged groups. The space of deliberation referring to media discourse is thus treated as a normative ideal of a symbolic space in which the discourses of various epistemic communities are present, visible to themselves and referring to one another. Moreover, these communities have the chance to become visible also to those who are not actively involved in them - viewers, readers, audiences in general. But this is not all. The polyphonic and intertextual space of this co-existence of discourses by its nature creates conditions for collective deliberation on issues of importance to society. The confrontation of various points of view is supposed to produce a better solution (than interest groups’ initial proposals], but not to give the advantage to a specific point of view (e.g. through eristic processes) or make any one community dominant. At the same time, though, these normative criteria lead to critical analysis and evaluation of the communicative processes taking place in the media space.

Of course, the rift between the realm of ideal premises and the practice of how discourses function in the media is not meant to emphasise the pathologies of the latter, but to point to the need for and forms of action to reorganise this practice; to critically analyse not only the process of defining the goals and instruments for achieving it but also the norms that these processes will follow in the public sphere. The authors therefore do not treat media discourses as the only public discourses, but as those which are visible in the media space.