With Two Feet On Firm Ground and Diverse Heads Up in the Air

`Open societies' are democratic societies in which people act upon the belief that no one possesses the ultimate truth. This article reviews debates of communication scholars at four Expert Meetings on whether and how media can contribute to openness and democracy in societies in East and West. It argues that a balance of power between media and societal organizations and groups (advertisers, audiences, governments) is a necessary but not sufficient condition for media to be open and contribute to democracy. In addition, we need media professionals, media organizations and audiences to be internally motivated to aim for innovation, tolerance and appreciation of diversity. The article illustrates this argument with a discussion of the proclaimed empowering role of the Internet, and clarifies why it comes as no surprise that some patterns of Internet usage close off rather than open up an informed exchange of ideas and opinions. The article concludes with some suggestions for future research on media, the Internet and open societies.