News and Journalism - Essay Example

Being engaged in a global web and the ceaseless struggle for social, racial and economic justice is not a simple issue in the current scenario of corporate media ownership, media consolidation and increasing homogeneity of available information sources. Diversity in views, ideas and voices are critical ingredients foe a functioning democracy and toward constructive dialogue about systemic social change. This is what underlines the importance of an independent media organization. Assessing the "independence" of a media organization is a complex process and will be subsequently discussed in coming paragraphs. It is important to acknowledge the social , political and economical factors which affect media independence in a way that it is not as independent as it is supposed to be. Amidst a whirlpool of contemporary movements like citizen journalism and new grassroots online media initiatives and with the mediascape changing at an incomprehensibly rapid pace, it's no wonder that so many publications are left wondering what the future looks like. Understanding the impact of these shifts and changes, and how an organization can take advantage of them to deliver a certain message and reach out to the audience, will be an important journey. It is not new to say that there is an ethnic bias in the mainstream media in almost all parts of the world and this fact has been proven beyond doubt by innumerable studies. Compounded by protracted ethno-political conflict, exacerbated by ineffective media reforms and coupled with the imperatives of market economics, the mainstream media in continues to perceive ethnicity as immutable and innate thereby neglecting its responsibility to demystify stereotypes and buttress institutions and practices that can ameliorate ethno-political conflict. It is natural for a media to keep its language readership in mind but impartiality and accuracy suffer as a result of this inherent bias. In an ethnically polarized society, ethnic bias in mainstream news media can take multiple forms and these are also reflected in the ownership of media houses. The problem facing journalists all over is how to protect their 'independence' when the world around them asks them to follow strategies and ethics which bind them to a certain ideology and path when no path or method is value neutral. And yet, the imperatives of journalism - accuracy, fairness, impartiality and reliability (Ross,2002) - bolstered by the freedom of expression, speech and information and open government provide the backbone of democratic pluralism. However, the multiplicity of voices in the media should not become a cacophony of half-truths, and must avoid the ills of rabid ethnocentrism and tabloid sensationalism. this could be done by promoting ethnic and gender balance in the newsrooms, regular updating and internal review of editing and style handbooks, in-house workshops and training on conflict sensitive journalism and greater co-operation between personnel and grass-roots level correspondents. Media reform has to have a holistic approach. Inextricably entwined with the impetus for media reform should also be the enabling framework of legislation regarding the right to information, the right to speech and the freedom of expression. A piecemeal approach to media reform, neglecting the wider canvas within which such reform takes place, is short-sighted and will not lead to any noticeable change. There are numerous external factors which influence the nature of the media. The rapid development of telecommunications and media technologies has transformed the very nature of the media by becoming an integral part of all events taking place in space and time. Live coverage in itself is recognized as a new event. Examples of this are the landing of US marines in Somalia and Haiti and the assault on the Beli dom and the Ostankino television station in Moscow. National and state politics have a powerful and crucial influence on the media in non-democratic regimes and unconsolidated democracies. In democratic societies politicians endeavor to influence the media as much as possible by spin-doctoring. On the other hand the media themselves are able to exert an increasingly decisive influence on the behavior and decisions of politicians. However, in actuality, the media has no power of its own, rather their influence stems from modern methods of implementing specific policies which is more widespread through the media and to a lesser extent in the parliament and in other arenas for political activities. Commercialization also suppresses the diversity of programming, as well as issues related to minorities, alternative culture, and subcultures. The news and current affairs reporting clearly reflect the pursuit of higher audience ratings. News presentation, that selection of excerpts from reality presented by media to their audience is now characterized by the trivial, the bizarre and the scandalous. As a consequence of this hard news now occupies less space in the media and there is less willingness to cover the expenses of public service broadcasters which are now being forced into commercialization. As a result, the audience loses its sources of information. Pseudo-Democracy of media organizations has a host of internal aspects as well. For instance, every single word has a life of its own in Yugoslavia and responsibility is non-existent. Inequality of the media especially with regard to state-run media and pro-government media, have much greater technical and financial capacity. Independent media are subject to a repressive law and unequal treatment in the exercise of their basic rights. Moreover national conflicts have been a regular occurrence for most of the past decade, the authorities' simply resolving one national conflict by generating another. Therefore, guarantees of any sort are virtually impossible as there is no legality and everything ultimately boils down to autocracy and the wishes of the handful of people in the power circle. Thus independent media has no alternative but to cling to its existence without the possibility of developing and establishing serious and strong alternatives to the state-controlled media. It is apparent that democracy and democratization are terms that have been completely discredited by constant media manipulation and the false promotion of anti-democratic values as democratic. the regime uses the media as an army whose task is to thoroughly prepare the ground and then instigate and brutalize national conflicts. Furthermore, isolation brought about by sanctions doubles the effect on independent media as the flow of information decreases. Limitations imposed by commercialization (Infotainment) have caused worldwide information networks to adopt a superficial approach to reporting by creating stereotypes without seeking insights into conflict. The public seems to have no autonomy in matters regarding conflicts because their opinions are shaped largely according to the suggestions of political and other bureaucrats. Such opinion in turn influences politicians and governments to behave similarly, thus exacerbating the conflict or contributing to the emergence of new conflicts for which the most powerful partner is responsible, regardless of whether he is a tyrant or a criminal or takes a pro-democracy stance. Commercialization is a function of the regime's self-promotion and anti-cultural trends oriented towards light entertainment and kitsch which have eventually started imposing themselves as the dominant cultural and social form. State-run media has easy and ready access to international commercial programs as the state has substantial financial resources at its disposal. Consequently these programs are available to those who use the context of these shows to promote vilification, violence and intolerance. Repressive authorities also have a firm control over telecommunications. International telecommunications corporations cooperate with the regime through joint ventures which is a representation of direct assistance to the undemocratic regime (as seen in the purchase of 49 per cent of the state telecommunications company by Greek and Italian corporations immediately before the election, when the regime most needed money).This results in restrictions in licensing resources to independent media, NGOs and so on. Frequency license distribution is known to be politically manipulated, which is tolerated despite international standards and regulations dealing with this issue. Access to satellite distribution has its own restrictions. Internet content is often censored and the infrastructure which would allow a more serious commercial approach to the offering of Internet services is inaccessible. The core program content of state-run and pro-government media is the promotion and endorsement of the interests of the oligarchy. This however has no bearing with the communal role of public media. On the contrary, the independent professional media design their program content by taking the public interest into account which is in complete contrast to the state- run media. The media does not generate political, national or other conflicts rather, they are Capable of intensifying them or contributing to their resolution. Unfortunately, journalists themselves have no decisive impact on either the deterioration or amelioration of such situations. Dangerous tendencies like the "hate speech" and the authorities' interference in the activities of the independent print media must be taken as ominous signs of impending conflict . There are no simple formulae which could be applied to determine the potential of the media to actively engage in conflict resolution and the democratization process. It takes a combination of many positive factors to implement effectivity. Support should be provided consistently from beginning to the end and whenever required. Support for the independent media cannot properly be implemented without broader assistance to civil sector development and to democratic institutions. Freedom of information must be a constituent part of every foreign affairs activity and cannot be relegated to the position of a minor issue so that the development of local media guarantees the affirmation of distinctive regional features. New technologies like the Internet and satellite systems are extremely important in the establishment of networks of local and regional activities. The Internet and satellite have removed boundaries and rendered censorship obsolete and ineffective, which is why they should be at the disposal of the independent media, enabling them to compete with State-controlled media and overcome government censorship. Apart from financial aid, the economic effectiveness of independent media structures must also be enhanced in undemocratic countries which are plagued by national conflicts which may be achieved by granting loans so that the media organizations can be gradually integrated into the international economic system and rules of conduct. constant monitoring of media operations as a analytical method of reporting may provide serious warnings of impending conflict, at the same time professional guidance should be provided for the successful development of local independent media. It is also necessary to implement projects for raising awareness among all political bodies of the importance of journalism in the political process of democratization (often the opposition does not understand the concept of independent media, seeing them instead as opposition media). The annual Freedom of the Press survey assesses the degree of print, broadcast, and Internet freedom in every country in the world, analyzing events that take place during each calendar year. Ratings are determined on the basis of an examination of three broad categories: the legal environment in which media operates, political influences on reporting and access to information, and economic pressures on content and the dissemination of news. The legal category assesses the laws and regulations that could influence media content as well as the government's inclination to use these laws and legal institutions to restrict the media's ability to operate. The political category encompasses a variety of issues, including editorial pressure by the government or other actors, censorship and self-censorship, the ability of reporters to cover the news, and the extralegal intimidation of and violence against journalists. Finally, under the economic category issues such as the structure, transparency, and concentration of media ownership; costs of production and distribution; and the impact of advertising, subsidies, and bribery on content are examined. The survey provides a numerical rating from 0 (the most free) to 100 (the least free) for each country and categorizes the level of press freedom as "Free," "Partly Free," or "Not Free" based on each country's numerical rating. In 2004, out of 194 countries and territories surveyed, 75 countries (39 percent) were rated Free, 50 (26 percent) were rated Partly Free, and 69 (35 percent) were rated Not Free. The year saw a slight improvement in press freedom worldwide as measured by a shift in category. Overall, 1 country, Namibia, moved from Partly Free to Free, while 4 countries (Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Lebanon, and Ukraine) improved from Not Free to Partly Free. Only 2 countries-Kenya and Pakistan-registered a negative category shift in 2004 from Partly Free to Not Free. In terms of population, the survey found that 17 percent of the world's inhabitants live in countries that enjoy a Free press, while 38 percent have a Partly Free press and 45 percent have a Not Free press. In conclusion, although media vibrancy is an essential component of press freedom, the overall level of media independence in each country is influenced by a variety of factors that in unison comprise the broader entire "enabling environment" for the media. Research has shown that in many countries inadequate legal protections, coupled with moderate or high levels of intimidation by either the government or other actors, can combine to place a country in the Not Free category despite the presence of a vibrant independent print media sector. References: Primary source: Veran Matic THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE MEDIA IN NATIONAL CONFLICTS AND HOW TOGUARANTEE THE FUTURE ROLE OF INDEPENDENT MEDIA IN DEMOCRACY AND DEMOCRATISATION PROCESSES An Operational Framework for Media and Peacebuilding, Ross Howard, IMPACS, 2002 Journalism, Media and the Challenge of Human Rights Reporting, International Council on Human Rights Policy, 2002 "Freedom of the Press 2005: A Global Survey of Media Independence" Read More