Media as the Fourth Estate and its Role Today - Essay Example

Government Business Relations Media as the fourth e and its role today Introduction The news media is conservatively known as the watchdog of democracy. Today it is also one of the most persuasive global industries. The fourth estate remains the ideal for most journalists, but the increase in the media ownership together with political, ethical and occupational interests has disillusioned many (Schutz Julianne, 1998). In fact the fourth estate by reflecting the public opinion and awakening the public on relevant issues, has led the way in the implementation of various laws and regulations which have benefited one and all. Thus it has played an important role in the development of business and economy. Journalism traditionally sees itself as having a central role in ensuring accountability in the democracy by revealing the details of debate in the political process. The term fourth estate is used to contrast the press to the legislative, executive and judicial arms of the government (Dr. Stockwell Stephen ). Today however, Australian journalism may have become bolder, but decreasing ethical standards have left a bad taste in the minds of the public. Past effectiveness of media But let us go back in time when the fourth estate was considered an important pillar of society. James Harrison in the first issue of his Geelong Advertiser proclaimed the press to be a "mighty engine for the promulgation of Truth". Engines of Influence shows the links in the newspaper network working to receive and share news, distribute papers and manufacture opinion. "A rich fund for the investigations of future historians", was how the Trustees saw the newspaper collection of the public Library of Victoria in 1883. This has been proved true with the frequency with which newspapers are cited in Australian histories. In fact, Alan Atkinson's history of Australia postulates and explores a relationship between the ubiquity of print and manuscript, the power of writing and development of democracy. (Mighty Engine 24th Jan 2004) The fourth estate in the earlier days carried a certain stature and was vary of transgressing the privacy of individuals. It followed government policies and decisions and debated them vociferously thereby, influencing policy decisions. Its bipartisan discussions and views were taken seriously and could definitely be counted as a force in the public domain. Commercial compulsions did not hold sway and nor did political affiliations. Journalist commanded a certain stature in society which unfortunately today is being diluted. Till the seventies and eighties the fourth estate could be considered to be the government watchdog, but with the challenges of the present day times and the government regulations coming into place, it seems to have lost some of its sheen. Globalisation, technology and media ownership have played an important role in the effectiveness of the fourth estate. Let us take a closer look at how each one of them has an impact on the fourth estate. Globalisation In this age of globalisation, the relationship of the media and the government cannot be ignored. Globalisation has provided the media with a bigger and more diverse audience. The whole world is suddenly open to it. With the advent of the internet and satellite transmission, the viewer ship for the media has largely increased. Ironically though, the media instead of being free has been bound in shackles with the acceleration of globalisation. The acceleration of globalisation has led to the fourth estate being stripped of its potential and thus making it a miniscule counter power. This new geo-economic framework has made all the activities in the mass culture, communication and information merge where it difficult to distinguish between their individual elements. (Ramonet Ignacio, October 2003) Earlier the three were clearly divided and the news was considered a priority with entertainment having a separate identity of its own. But today commercial compulsions and technology make it necessary to merge all the three thereby losing the very essence of news reporting. According to Nancy Blacklow, "television being the prime source of information for large numbers of people and satellite technology aiding the globalisation of media content, news is now available twenty four hours a day, transmitted in 'real time' and dominated by live events." (Blacklow Nancy, 2006) Global Terrorism has affected the media coverage too. An expose on the link between the media and terrorists has led to the tightening of regulations on the media. Most media reports highlighted the local effect within a global war which led many governments to clamp down on the media ( Nacos B, 2002) Today, with the internet opening up a plethora of sites to be viewed, information is passed as soon as it happens. But with terrorism on the rise and the government under intense scrutiny, has tightened its hold on the fourth estate. It has introduced laws which impinge on the freedom of the press. However, the media too, needs to be more sympathetic and sensitive to the viewer's needs. Many a time viewers have been shown unpleasant sights, which may be demeaning. This is done purely to gain an increase in viewer ship. News channels, papers are all part of the rat race to increase their viewers and thus tend to sensationalise news however gory or upsetting it may be. This has led to a disdain for the media in the eyes of the public and now with so many options available, it truly does stand to lose its stature as the fourth estate. While it is understandable that funding cuts and commercial considerations add pressure on the media, it is imperative that the media wakes up to globalisation and retains its place in the fourth estate. Globalisation demands a radical change in the functioning of the media and this can only be done in tandem with government policies. Effects of Technology Let us now take a look at the impact of technological advances in the fourth estate. Technology has grown in leaps and bounds over the years and what was thought as unachievable has now become a reality. Thanks to technology the world is now a global village and suddenly distances have shrunk. With the advent of technological advances expenses in certain spheres have reduced. Along with this is the fillip side too, where because of increased profits there has been an entry of a number of new players. The digital technology is all set to play an important role in reforming Australia's media. Television is currently being broadcast mainly through digital systems and the internet too uses the same. Digital delivery allows for more channels and interactivity between the broadcaster and the client. The internet has blurred the boundaries of media and therefore the original rationale of cross media restrictions has become pointless. Notwithstanding the arguments for internet, the "mass media" is still the place where most media people are employed and where maximum numbers of advertisements are still placed. Mass media still remains a major source of news and information for a large majority of people (Giesecke Terry, April 2006) The most historic step in the technological advances made with respect to the fourth estate would be the lift- off of the Space Shuttle Discovery. Thanks to an extensive wireless mesh network covering a six-acre site at the Kennedy Space Centre, journalists on the ground will be able to submit stories in real time. Journalists would be able to watch the launch and file their stories simultaneously (Stone Adam, 2004). This is something that could not have happened without the giant steps that man has taken in the field of technology. All that the media needs to do is to grab the opportunities presented and make judicious use of them to become a force to reckon with in the fourth estate. It could definitely make an attempt a securing lost ground through this medium. Media Ownership Issues Another factor which tests the effectiveness of the media in today's time in the fourth estate would be the issue of media ownership. A lot of media is owned by foreign companies. Since the most popular websites are controlled by the major media companies the smaller websites are doubted for the authentication. Major media companies have the skill and capacity to produce high quality sites. In fact foreign ownership should be encouraged to establish new media ventures rather than taking over existing operations. If the Australian media were largely taken over it could impact adversely the local programming and the native cultural identity. Local input such as news and information too stand to lose. Even large cities like Adelaide have seen their local news produced interstate. Foreign ownership should be restricted in order to safeguard Australian production and culture. Even though it may be argued that smaller groups are not profitable as mergers, it is to be noticed that the average yield for the top 100 listed companies in Australia was 3.65 per cent. Thus one can safely conclude that Australia has little to gain and a lot to loose if the media is not locally owned and controlled (Giesecke Terry, April 2006). Conclusion Thus, though today media seems to have taken a beating in its stature in the fourth estate, it is worthwhile contemplating that in spite of such gigantic advances in the media it is losing itself in the global wilderness. To be fair though a number of stories have been brought forward and a number of journalists and media houses did put up a fight against the stranglehold of regulations, bureaucracy and commercial interests. There is definitely hope that globalisation, technological advancements and media ownership will usher in a new era in the effectiveness of media, taking it to a new high in its standing in the fourth estate. Works Cited Blacklow Nancy: The media in the age of terrorism: An Australian experience. www.artsweb.aut.ac.nz/journalism-conference/docs/paper-NBlacklow.doc Dr Stockwell Stephen, School of arts, Griffith University. Reconsidering the fourth estate: The function of infotainment. www.adelaide,edu.au/opsa/docs-papers/others/stockwell.pdf Giesecke Terry, April 2006: Media reforms in Australia. www.members.pcug.org.au Mighty Engine 24 Jan indd: Newspaper in history .viewed on 29th April 07. www.mup.unimelb.edu.au/ebooks/0-522-85156-8/Engins_Ch1.pdf Narcos,B (2002). Mass-mediated terrorism: The central role of the media in terrorism and counterterrorism. LanhamMD: Rowman & Littlefield Ramonet Ignacia Oct 2003: www.mondediplo.com/2003/10/01/media-34k Stones Adam: Fourth estate wireless at the launch. www.wifiplanet.com/column/article.php/3517966 Schutz Julianne: Reviving the fourth estate: Democracy, accountability and the media. www.cambridge.org Read More