substantial
the directional relationship between media diffusion and democra-tization is still fraught with uncertainty. Principally, this ambivalence results fromthe justifiable conception of increased media diffusion, especially of independentand pluralistic media systems, as an indicator of democracy rather than a causalmechanism. In other words, it remains undetermined if media diffusion is a basisfor or a product of democratic augmentation. The study reported here begins tofill this gap by exploring the macrolinkages in media system dependency (MSD)theory and thereby re-examining the frequently cited and long-standing propositionthat mass media contribute to the development of democratic growth in the formof institutionalized national-level processes, practices, and rights (Dennis & Snyder,1998; USAID, 1999)