The Rise of Mass Communications SLP - Research Paper Example

Influence of Television: Cambodians and Western Television Section July Influence of Television: Cambodians and Western Television In the New York Times article entitled “Cambodians Get a Taste of Western Television” (2011), Robert Turnbull focuses his story on executive producer Matthew Robinson and his response to an advertisement to set up a made-for-television tales of ordinary people living extraordinary lives in Phnom Penh. Mr. Robinson’s first series, “Taste of Life,” focuses on the education of Cambodians to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and AIDS.

This project is financed by the British development agency DFID and managed by the BBC World Service Trust. From 2004 to 2006, the series ran for about 100 episodes with at least 40 percent of the 14 million population of the country tuned in. After this project, Mr. Robinson is commissioned by the US State Department through the television series “Air Waves.” The aim of the project is to discourage Islamic fundamentalism and improve the relationship between the Khmer and Cham Muslim communities.

The project is also geared as an pre-emptive measure in discouraging the creation and development of Islamist sympathizers in the Muslim population of Cambodia. The second series garnered around four million viewers for its entire run. Mr. Robinson’s third project, entitled “Time for Justice,” aims at introducing Cambodian locals to the Extraordinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia (ECCC) (in cooperation with the Cambodian government and the United Nations) – a chamber that prosecutes senior members of the Khmer Rouge.

The third series is such a success that the British Embassy financed a larger fourth project, “Duch on Trial.” According to Mr. Robinson,“It wasn’t just about introducing the legal process to the millions of Cambodians who know nothing about it, but explaining why someone like Duch, a mass murderer who pleaded guilty, had to have a fair trial. In a country where corruption is endemic, disputes are usually sorted out on a local level through the village chief or payment to a member of the political elite.

” With the downfall of the ruthless Khmer Rouge, Cambodia is finally on its stepping stone towards developing, managing, and enhancing technological advances in communication, particularly in the aspect of television. The British government, in cooperation with the US State Department, utilized this medium to influence, if not control, the interest of Cambodians into specialized issues that are highly relevant in society. Although television viewership does not translate into acceptance or submission into the programs’ message, nonetheless Mr.

Robinson’s projects is just a tip of the iceberg of what is yet to come out in Cambodian visual media. Since this is post-Khmer Rouge era, foreigners are taking advantage of this opportunity to send message to Cambodians in isolating or deflecting any subtle reason for such horrible regime to be revived. At the same time, Islamic radicalism is also emphasized so as to avoid the rise of another treacherous network group with links to the Al-Qaeda. Overall, it is still up to the Cambodians whether to accept or reject the picturesque views being portrayed by Mr.

Robinson and his television series’. Although there is no direct link between its large audience viewership and message acceptance, this step is a good sign that Cambodians are willing to delve into other issues and concerns since they can now freely choose what they want to view. The question now is how far Cambodians can go and are they really ready to inculcate Western influence into their Asian submissive culture. Can Cambodians face the once secluded Western world or is it too much to ask for?

Works Cited Turnbull, Robert. (June 2011). Cambodians Get a Taste of Western Television. The New York Times. Retrieved from website: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/02/arts/02iht-tvcambodia02.html?_r=1.