What Has the Media Done to Our Democracy?

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What Has the Media Done to Our Democracy?
By Vernon Stent Platinum Quality Author

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If you live in a democracy you may be counting your lucky stars. No
dictatorship for you. Of course, what goes hand-in-hand with a democratic
society is a free press as it was known - a free media in modern speak.

For the purposes of this article, I will split the media into two categories:
partisan and non-partisan. By partisan, I am not just referring to a political
party but any party, or pressure group, that has an axe to grind. Usually
partisan media is biased either to the left or to the right of politics. Some
outlets claim to be in the middle but reserve the right to take a view on
specific issues. Some others exist to promote - or decry - a specific issue or
limited basket of issues.

In most countries, partisan media tends to be print and internet.
Non-partisan media tends to be broadcast media. I know there are plenty of
exceptions (e.g. many local radio stations in the U.S., Russia etc), but I am
taking liberties with a sweeping generalization.

With media that is partisan we usually are aware from which angle they are
coming from. We would probably not choose to consume this media if we were not
sympathetic with the thrust of the given publication. With partisan media you
generally are aware that you are receiving information where the emphasis is
weighted a certain way.

What is of greater concern is media that is supposedly unbiased. Usually, as
stated, this is broadcast media and often this impartial, non-partisan output is
stipulated by law. In theory we should be able to count on these outlets as a
safe haven for straightforward and accurate information. Broadcast media in
western countries is generally free of government interference as long as what
they broadcast is decent, truthful and, of course, is impartial. But is there
any such thing as unbiased reporting of news? How can this be measured? A crude
method used by some broadcasters is to count complaints from the left and from
the right. If the two balance then that's all right then. Trouble is, most
complainers do not declare which part of the political spectrum they are
complaining from, so this complaint-counting exercise is in itself subject to
valued judgements and therefore bias.

In the UK the BBC has about half the share of total broadcasting. It is one
of those organizations that is charged with providing unbiased news and
information. The problem with the BBC, as with other similar organizations
around the world is they decide what news to broadcast and in what order
or priority; they decide who to interview and they ask the questions.
Don't get me wrong - I wouldn't want it any other way. To have a media outlet
controlled by government, for example, would be potentially disastrous. But the
ability to set the news agenda gives large broadcasters a great deal of power.

The old adage is never truer: with power comes responsibility. Those
broadcasters who decide to run these news stories are, by definition,
censoring those news stories. Many a well planned press release and news
conference has been scuppered by the red pen (or delete key) of a news editor.
Many a politician with a story to tell has been diverted into a completely
different subject by the interviewer whose editor is intent on an ambush. A
journalist once said that a good journalist is someone who gets a politician to
say something they didn't want to say (or words to that effect). What arrogance!
And this is another sport of journalists. Journos talking about other journos.
Perhaps they will eat each other and we can start again. They have a curious way
of confusing their own output with public opinion. An interviewer earnestly
feels that he is representing the public when he puts his questions. Did he
conduct a poll? How does he know what questions we want him to put?

The BBC, as well as being obsessed with class (a quaint notion about having
upper, middle and lower strands of people) has often hailed the "end of
deference". I, for one, agree that deference is not appropriate. I do
however, feel that disrespect of politicians is wrong. What they have forgotten
is that politicians were elected by us The People. By showing a lack of respect
to our politicians, the unelected journos, editors and producers are showing
disrespect to us, The People. The sad thing is that a free media that is not
interfered with by government is surely an essential element in a democracy. The
arrogance and downright rudeness shown by some broadcasters is undermining this
notion and bringing free media into disrespect.

Any rumblings against this trend are never aired - for obvious reasons - the
broadcasters simply ignore it. Politicians dare not complain for fear of being
virtually boycotted by the media, or worse, being pilloried. It may be too late
already. Those that interview politicians usually earn more than their
interviewees. Isn't that symbolic of the shift in power in our society? In the
UK, political parties are gradually merging into a liberal, left-of-centre lump,
herded like sheep by the largely liberal minded BBC.

I am not suggesting that the BBC is institutionally biased nor that there is
a great conspiracy. It's simply that it attracts liberal-minded people just as
the majority of those in the arts tend to be on the left and industrialists on
the right. That's the way it is. By the same token, the media have strong links
with the entertainment industry. Surely, the mirror image of the damage done to
politics is the generous promotion and subsidies given to the arts, including
commercial cinema. How many other commercial enterprises are subsidized in this
way? Could a ball-bearings manufacturer plug his product on the BBC in the way
that a film or theatre producer can promote his? Imagine the uproar on the media
if government subsidies to the arts were taken away. Also, though, imagine the
uproar from the same media if my political representative asked for a pay rise!

The mad thing about this is that the BBC itself often muses about the lack of
respect for politicians and the low turnout in elections. What nerve!

Lately there has been a great deal of anti U.S. sentiment coming out of the
BBC. This was at one time confined to Justin Webb, their U.S. Correspondent who
attempted on more than one occasion to belittle Americans. While he has recently
been far more reasonable and more rounded in his coverage, the rest of the BBC's
anti U.S. output seems to be gathering pace.

Surely a broadcaster which is supposed to be impartial should at least stick
to a few ground rules:

1. Cut out the speculation: stop trying to predict the news. Just report
facts

2. Don't analyze the news. Just report facts

3. Don't pass judgements. Just report facts

4. Don't load questions with biased judgements

5. Try to make questions shorter, so that the interviewees can be heard

6. Remember that you are part of a democracy and do not run the country. We have
our own politicians to do that.

Those that study recent history will know of the important and sometimes heroic
part that the media, including broadcast media, has played around the world,
especially when combating reactionary regimes and aiding fledgling democracies.
Bombed transmitters, locked-up and murdered journalists, smashed printing
presses: all these inexcusable acts are a testament to the importance and power
of the media. It will be tragic if too much power turns our society into a
dictatorship - dictated by the media itself, leaving our politicians - and
therefore us - as bystanders.

Perhaps we should wind the clock back a little. No to deference, but yes to
respect. No to pontificating and yes to straight news reporting. Back to a
bygone age such as that featured at bygonetv.com

Bygonetv.com features old tv shows such as The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vernon_Stent

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Article Submitted On: February 17, 2006
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* MLA Style Citation:
Stent, Vernon "What Has the Media Done to Our Democracy?." What Has the Media Done to Our Democracy?. 17 Feb. 2006. EzineArticles.com. 30 Apr 2009 .

* APA Style Citation:
Stent, V. (2006, February 17). What Has the Media Done to Our Democracy?. Retrieved April 30, 2009, from http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Has-the-Media-Done-to-Our-Democracy?&id=147268

* Chicago Style Citation:
Stent, Vernon "What Has the Media Done to Our Democracy?." What Has the Media Done to Our Democracy? EzineArticles.com. http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Has-the-Media-Done-to-Our-Democracy?&id=147268

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