Democracy according to
historians existed in some form as far back as 4000 - 2500 B.C in Mesopotamia
now known as Iraq. It wasn’t until 508
B.C democracy evolved into the term we use today, taken from the Greek language
(demos) meaning people and kratien (rule) “rule by the people” where male
members of the assembly could vote, women and slaves were excluded. (BBC News,
2018)
Fast forward to the
present and the emergence of a new terminology “Cyberdemocracy” self-governing
virtual communities. Cyberdemocracy has come about by the advent of the
internet and the resultant media convergence. (Hartley, J. 2011) Through the
far-reaching web of social media, citizens are now more emboldened than ever
before to participate in the political and social discussions generally pushing
their own socioeconomic and political ideology whether informed with facts or so-called
"fake news".
The idea of the public sphere became fashionable and cemented in
history, in response to the work of German philosopher Jurgen Habermas, in his book "The Structural Transformation
of the Public Sphere" published in 1962. (Leaning, 2009) In short, the public
sphere is a space in which members of the society met to communicate and
discuss and debate the social and political issues of the time. Habermas
regarded the public sphere as a meeting of minds to conceptualise the practice
of democracy. (Leaning, 2009)
Democracy, through
dialogue, is initially undertaken in the public sphere, a place where private citizens if motivated to become activists for
certain causes use this platform to voice their opinions and ideology, to set
about change. Activists would often use printed media to spread their
respective messages in the form of booklets and pamphlets.
The “rule of the people” or democracy is
undeniably a propitious and equitable institution for bringing about peaceful
change, although Winston Churchill the British politician and Prime minister
during WW2 famously once said: "The best argument against democracy is
a five -minute conversation with the average voter" (Deacon, 2012) In effect expressing
the notion that the public sphere is best served by the bourgeoisie. This idea
is the very reason political grassroots activism has been at the forefront of
social change. When civil rights movements gain support
or opposition through the public sphere via media reporting. Is this democracy
in action? Newspaper corporations using print media and nightly news broadcasts
were viewed as the arbiters concerning the arena of the public sphere.
Information can be selectively edited to the possible detriment of the true
story and thus citizens to make informed choices.
Conversely,
the Vietnam War was not censored to the same degree as preceding wars. All wars
up to this point were heavily censored by the government at the time. The
Vietnam war was the first televised war. It could be argued that the lack of
censorship greatly contributed to the change of public sentiment from a war
that could be “won” to a war that was both tragic and expensive, costing
American lives and taxpayers money. War correspondents literally were embedded
with the armed forces and they would broadcast the most gruesome of scenes back
to the American public via television sets in the comfort of their lounge
rooms. (Censorship after the Vietnam
War., 2017)
link to Vietnam War video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0oCdTH0jWQ
Political activists who rallied against the war were to use
the media to organise mass demonstrations, which is thought to have greatly
influenced the American government's decision to end the war, ironically,
reported on by the very same media organisations that covered the horrors of
the war.
Censorship by governments is a double-edged sword, on one
edge, governments and the media have an ethical obligation to protect its
citizens particularly children from degrading pornography and extremely violent
images. On the other edge, freedom of speech, expression, and information in
the public sphere is the very essence of democracy.
Modern-day definition of the public sphere has expanded way
beyond the era of the educated middle class. The interpersonal and
interactivity the internet offers has given most of the developed world a media
platform to advocate for political and social change that accords with their
ideologies and to find like-minded individuals to support their causes. Social
media has given rise to the term “citizen journalist “and the “virtual sphere.”
The
fourth estate, the profession of journalism commonly known as the press is one
of the four pillars of democracy. The fundamental responsibility of a free
press is to be a watchdog by holding governments and corporations accountable
for their actions.
From print media and the daily newspaper, familiar to all
people that could convey the same thought to ten thousand minds in the same
minute. (Knight Hunt, 1998) to the technological
innovation of the internet that can convey the same thought to ten million
minds in the same second.
Despite the speed and enormous scope of the world wide web
via the internet, the freedom of the fourth estate remains the channel through
which the injured may challenge the oppressor by the law of the nation. It is
the means in which the public may know of persons of misconduct and the
subsequent arraignment and trail. It is the liberty of the press that affords
the bold and undisguised truth to pries its way into the cabinets of
governments and ruling monarchs and those of privilege. It is the press who
courageously lifts its voice against the prejudices and corruptions of the
powerful and influential. (Knight Hunt, 1998)
Social
media, the virtual sphere is the modern equivalent to the “London coffee houses”
of the 17th century, where the public can honestly or contentiously,
express and discuss the issues of their communities, local, national and
international. Today, citizen journalists now have a platform to communicate
within the society in which they live. An issue posted online can find support
or opposition to respective agendas and within days have millions of “likes”
and comments both for and against. This is cyberdemocracy at work.
Governments
who are democratically elected by its citizens are compelled by the groundswell
of opinion to respond and possibly amend legislation. Petitions in the past
used to require the grassroots organisation to obtain 100,000 signatures on
paper, petitions are now signed by the click of a mouse, once enough electronic
signatures are obtained the petition can be tabled in parliament for elected
officials to debate. Democracy in action.
The
democratic process that is upheld in the privacy of the ballot box remains paramount
to society in electing of officials, one person, one vote. However, the way today's issues in society
are debated is not so clear as the rhetoric of past politicians on the
hustings. The opinions expressed via Twitter, Facebook and other social media
platforms can be unsubstantiated and transitional, propagated by mob rule and the
24-hour news cycle. Those on social media with millions of followers have
tremendous power to influence other people via the vast reach of the internet.
Such people are setting the trends and tone of discussions. They are indeed
citizen journalists. The question remains, do they adhere to a code of ethics? Is
democracy best served?
In countries that fear the power of social media, such as
the dictatorship of North Korea the internet for use by its citizens is banned,
additionally, radios must be tuned to the official government station. Listening
to any other broadcast channel is illegal. Without open communications,
democracy is dead. (Dictators and the Internet, 2007)
The cacophony of opinions and comment has never been louder
in the relative anonymity and unaccountably of cyberspace, so-called keyboard
warriors. Conflicting opinions are branded by some as hate speech, not free
speech. Religious and political ideologies clash with each side justifying their
own agenda. Professional journalists
cannot afford such generalities. The fourth estate is governed by a code of
ethics. Democracy and society overall are better served when the code is
practiced. Citizen journalists on social media are not bound by the same
code.
"The plain fact not all free speech is good
speech. Which means that freedom of speech is not always a sound or just public policy” (W.Berns, 1991) The statement by
Berns is most probably true, but sets up an ethical dilemma. Free speech is fundamental to democracy. Where does the
ethical line get crossed from free speech to propaganda to hate speech?
Ethics is a part of moral philosophy once
again like democracy has its roots in Ancient Greece. Ethikos translated means
something pertaining to character. The writings of Aristotle and Epictetus were
concerned with the nature of goodness endeavouring to understand right
from wrong. For Aristotle, ethics pertained to character, virtue and moral
training. A controversy arises in the clash of different values and principles.
What one person may see as just and ethical another may see the opposite. (Sanders,
Ethics and Journalism, 2003)
Ethical journalism strives to ensure a free exchange of information that
is fair and accurate, to minimize harm, seek truth and be accountable and
transparent. (Society of Professional Journalists, 2014) There can be a public perception that journalism matters very little. Many journalists
have commented on the humbling experience of seeing yesterday's newspaper as
today's fish and chip wrapper. Consumers of daily television news bulletins
hardly retain information from one 24 hour news cycle to the next. This is a
very limited view of journalists and the power of the fourth estate. To quote
Victorian journalist, William Thomas Stead "I have seen Cabinets upset,
ministers driven into retirement,
laws replaced, great social reforms initiated, Bills transformed, estimates
remodelled, programmes modified, Acts passed, Generals nominated, Governors
appointed, armies sent hither and thither,
wars proclaimed and wars averted, by the agency of newspapers.(cited in Snoddy 1992:46) (Sanders, Ethics and
Journalism , 2003)
Journalists are storytellers. They interpret events and
communicate the event through written or spoken word. These reports are
mediated by the interpretations of the journalists who tell their stories.
Unfortunately, there are many who believe work in the media is intrinsically an
unethical vocation. (Sanders, Ethics and Journalism ,
2003)
Are journalists simply reporters or do they indeed have a
moral duty of care? The journalists Code of Ethics cites: ‘Show compassion for all those who may be affected by news coverage.
Use heightened sensitivity when dealing
with juveniles, victims of sex crimes, and sources or subjects who are
inexperienced or unable to give consent, Consider cultural differences in approach
and treatment’. (Society of Professional
Journalists, 2014)
Journalists
work often leads them to situations which raise ethical dilemmas. When is it
legitimate, if at all, to lie or mislead another to obtain information?
Journalists are engaged in uncovering the stories from crime, to war, to
corruption at the highest levels of power that those with a vested interest
would prefer not to be told. Ethically do the means justify the end? Where do
journalists draw the line from upsetting images of butchered bodies, to details
of brutal rape or a murder trial? (Sanders, Ethics and Journalism,
2003)
What serves the public sphere and upholds the traditions of the fourth estate?
Citizen Journalism came about by the innovation of the
internet and has enabled citizens to produce content in the virtual sphere in
the form of blogs, podcasts, and streaming video. It has been lauded as a
revolution in news gathering and was thought to lead to a more open and
democratic process, one that would take away the sole province of professional
reporters.
With today’s toxic political cultures from the divided
Republicans and Democrats of America to the Brexit leavers and the Brexit remainers
of the United Kingdom, citizen journalists are having their say alongside the
professional media. Who is fact checking? With inaccurate and emotional
propaganda reporting, the audience is left not knowing who or what to believe. (Rogers, 2018)
In conclusion has democracy been better served by social media and globalisation? Or has it led
to voter confusion and uncertainty? Who holds the governments and corporations
accountable? It must be the professional journalist, assisted by citizen
journalists or democracy that has served humanity since the first votes were
cast in Ancient Greece will surely be replaced by a system that does not have all
societies citizens best interests at its core.
References:
BBC News . (2018). Democracy timeline - A Rocky
Road. Retrieved from BBC News :
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/in_depth/why democracy/timeline/html/non_flash.stm
Censorship after the Vietnam War. (2017, April). Retrieved from Government Censorship:
https://govtcensorship.wordpress.com/2013/04/17/censorship-after-the-vietnam-war/
Deacon, m. (2012, November). Why Winston Churchill
will always be the last word in political wit. Retrieved from The
Telegraph:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9696402/Why-Winston-Churchill-will-always-be-the-last-word-in-political-wit.html
Dictators and the Internet. (2007). The Wall Street
Journal.
Knight Hunt, F. (1998). Introductory. What is the
Fourth Estate? In F. Knight Hunt, The Fourth Estate; contributions towards a
history of newspapers, and of the liberty of the press. (pp. 1-8). London:
Routledge/Thoemmes.
Leaning, M. (2009). Internet,power, and society:
rethinking the power of the internet to change lives. In M. Leaning, Internet,
power and society: rethinking the power of the internet to change lives. (pp.
65-85). oxford: Chandos publishing.
Lincoln A. (1863, November 19 ). The Gettysburg
Address. Retrieved from Abraham Lincoln online:
http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm
Rogers, T. (2018, February 5). understanding citizen
journalism. Retrieved from Thought and co.:
https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-citizen-journalism-2073663
Sanders, K. (2003). Ethics and Journalism. In K.
Sanders, Ethics, and Journalism (pp. 8-9). London: Sage.
Sanders, K. (2003). Why Journalism Matters. In K.
Sanders, Ethics, and Journalism (pp. 8-9). London: Sage.
Society of Professional Journalists. (2014,
September). code of ethics. Retrieved from Society of Professional
Journalists: https://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp
W.Berns. (1991). Equality and Freedom of
Expression: The Hate Speech Dilemma. Retrieved from Hien online:
https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/wmlr32&div=15&id=&page=
No comments:
Post a Comment