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An essay on the topic a journalist
freedom of the press research paper
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One must first understand what a democratic system is, and its importance on journalism. According to Lyman Tower Sargent, the seven types of liberty that compose a democratic ideology are:
The right to vote.
Freedom of speech.
Freedom of the press.
Freedom of assembly.
Freedom of religion.
Freedom of movement.
Freedom from arbitrary treatment by the political and legal system.
While all of the above liberties are vital to a democratic society, those most important to journalism are freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the freedom to assembly. These liberties have not always been present, and in some parts of the world they are still not awarded. One can view the present state of liberties granted to any country at the website www.freedomhouse.org. At the time of writing this paper an update with regards to Kazakhstan had been posted stating that the Kazakhstani court has ruled to shut down an independent newspaper. Kazakhstani is clearly limited in its freedoms and is not alone in these limitations. In other news, Turkey’s government is using leverage over media to limit public debate on government actions, and going so far as to punish journalists and media owners who dispute this position. Ukraine has also been the center of news recently, with protests and political strife. The Ukraine government has failed to protect freedom of expression and corruption, and poor ethical conditions continue to infiltrate the Ukraine media. This lends credence to my stating that not all parts of the world live under a democratic system of press. Journalism continues to be a very dangerous, and volatile profession for many, and numerous journalists have been killed in their quest to spread the truth. Those fortunate enough to...
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...tical Ideologies. USA, University of Missouri 2009
Siebert, Fred Seaton et al. Four Theories of the Press. USA, University of Illinois 1984
Marx, Karl and Engels, Friederich. The Communist Manifesto. London Pluto Press 2008
Online Works Cited
Democracy in Crisis: Corruption, Media, and Power in Turkey. Freedom House http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/special-reports/democracy-crisis-corruption-media-and-power-turkey#.Uw93J-NdXDk accessed February 24, 2014
Kazakhstan Muzzles Independent Press. Freedom House http://www.freedomhouse.org/article/kazakhstan-muzzles-independent-press#.Uw93feNdXDk accessed February 24, 2014
One Step Forward, One Step Back: An Assessment of Freedom of Expression in Ukraine during its OSCE Chairmanship. Freedom House http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/special-reports/one-step-forward-one-step-back#.Uw94BONdXDk accessed February 24, 2014
Bonila, Denise M., and Levy, Beth, Eds. The Power of the Press. H. W. Wilson, 1999.
McCartney, J. (1997). News lite. In B. Levy & D.M. Bonilla (Eds.), The power of the press (pp. 44-54). New York: The H.W. Wilson Company.
The old proverb “the Pen is mightier than the sword” (Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Richelieu; Or the Conspiracy) still holds significance in protecting of public rights. Words such as freedom, and liberty engendered the idea for democracy. Such words formed into sentences and paragraphs enlightened the public to take action against tyranny and corruption. Freedom of the press is what ensured the general masses of their public rights. The exemplary case in which the freedom of the press played a role was the endeavors of Woodward and Bernstein to unravel the corrupted politics behind the Watergate Scandal. The movie All the President’s Men depicts the proceedings of the Watergate scandal, the scheme to attack the crux of democracy: “ the open election”. Also how the two journalists of the Washington Post progressed to unveil the relationship between the Watergate Burglary and the White House. On one hand, the movie represents the role of the media in its obligation to convey the truth to the masses. On the other hand, the movie reflects political corruption and conspiracy. The accomplishment of Woodward and Bernstein presents the importance of the interaction between the media, the government, and the general masses of society. The role of the media is not only to intervene between the State and the public, but also to take account of public ideas and to apply those ideas to new policies. Also, the media acts as a safeguard to prevent the corruption of the State. Thus, the Watergate scandal signifies the significance of the media as an intermediary between the government and the public mass.
Schmitter, Philippe C., and Terry Lynn Karl. "What Democracy Is ... and Is Not." Journal of Democracy 2.3 (1991): 75-88. Project MUSE. Web. 10 Sept. 2013.
The free press plays a very pivotal role in society. Through the First Amendment, the press is allowed complete and total control over what it publishes or broadcasts, so far as it does not publish a false story that invades ones privacy. In order for members to be aware of what’s going on in society especially in a democracy, they must be informed. With the help of our free press, Americans are guaranteed constant access to critical and noteworthy news protected by the First Amendment.
The Occupy movement opposes all forms of injustice and at the cornerstone of its crusade is the objection of the government’s use of “military and police force to prevent freedom of the press” (Occupy Wall Street, 2015, para. 3). The Occupy and worldwide movements staunchly support that “democracy requires the freedom to express one’s views without fear of retribution” (Zhang, Reid, & Xu, 2015). However, history has proven that freedom is gained with considerable sacrifices.
The Freedom of the Press, as granted by the First Amendment, allows the Press great privileges, only a few of which have been discussed in this paper. Regardless of the open scope of the topic, it is irrefutable that the Press enjoys a vast amount of power and freedom in what it can and cannot do, and what it does or doesn’t have a right to. The mere fact that the cases discussed above are 5 in favor of the press and 3 not in favor, whereas 3 of the 5 cases are defamation cases, reflects on the actual state of how free the press really is in the American society, and how important the First Amendment and its purpose is to the American way of life.
One of the fundamental roles of the media in a liberal democracy is to critically scrutinise governmental affairs: that is to act as a watchdog of government to ensure that the government can be held accountable by the public. However, the systematic deregulation of media systems worldwide is diminishing the ability of citizens to meaningfully participate in policymaking process governing the media (McChesney, 2003, p. 126). The relaxation of ownership rules and control, has resulted in a move away from diversity of production to a situation where media ownership is becoming increasing concentrated by just a few predominantly western global conglomerates (M...
The contrasting world of freedoms of speech, opinions and the press met in tragic circumstances when a number staff of the French satirical paper Charlie Hebdo were shot dead for printing comical images of Allah. In a representative democracy the individual has the right to fair trial and punishment and while the attackers felt the retribution was legitimate within their socio-political sphere ,within a representative democracy like France it is
“Journalism is not a crime,” (Echeverria 1) several journalists are protesting against government censorship of the media; journalists see that they are having lack of freedom when they write. Journalists can no longer write with liberty, the government restricts them. In many cases, governments punish journalists when they write against them. For example, nowadays Venezuela is in a critical situation due to the poor management of the government. Several journalists have been arrested for trying to communicate to the world about what is going on in Venezuela. The government made the decision to not give them paper so they are not able to write. At the same time, the government is not just affecting journalists; the situation has also forced the closure of various media outlets. Several journalists have claimed by the scarcity of paper, but there has not been any solution for this problem.
The first is the crisis of viability. The chance of success in the journalism in the mainstream is approaching a decline due to the transformations in technologies and new access to multiple sources of information. The second is a crisis in civic adequacy. The contributions of journalism to citizenship and democracy have begun to shift and this shift has caused a question of the relevancy of journalism to democratic processes. In a democratic society journalism plays the role of the government watchdog. The effectiveness of society’s watchdog is now being challenged and in turn alternating the structure of the current democratic society. Many critical theorists of the press during the beginning of the 20th century were concerned with finding appropriate forms of public regulation of the press and journalism to ensure that journalists are writing “news and information about public affairs which sustains and nurtures citizen information, understanding and engagement and thereby a democratic polity” (Cushion and Franklin, 2015: 75) (Dahlgren, Splichal 2016). Journalism is a political entity that influences and informs the public. It is meant to work as a source of public information that helps and does not hinder the general public specifically in political processes. The article
"Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one." This quote by A.J. Liebling illustrates the reality of where the media stands in today's society. Over the past twenty years there has been an increase in power throughout the media with regard to politics. The media's original purpose was to inform the public of the relevant events that occurred around the world. The job of the media is to search out the truth and relay that news to the people. The media has the power to inform the people but often times the stories given to the public are distorted for one reason or another. Using slant and sensationalism, the media has begun to shape our views in society and the process by which we choose our leaders. There was once a time when the government used the media as a medium to influence voters, committees, communities etc. Recently, it has been the presidents of major media outlets that have not only exercised power over the public but also made their presences felt in government and in the halls of congress. When the word democracy is thrown about it usually has to do with the rights or original intentions for a group or organization. The first group intended to be influenced by the media was the informed voter. Political parties along with the government used a variety of media resources to persuade the voter or in effect receive a vote for their cause. Returning to the thought of ?democracy? the question is, what was the original intention of the media with relation to the theme of democracy and the informed voter? To analyze this thought thoroughly one must first grasp an understanding of the basic definition of democracy.
Malcolm X, a human rights activist, once said, “The media´s the most powerful entity on Earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and the guilty innocent, and that´s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.” Through numerous studies and considerable amount of research, it has become clear that the media has a significant effect on society and its perception. This applies to all topics, but mostly to issues that are difficult for the mass to experience for themselves. For example, our views of government and social institutions are largely based on the medium’s reports, not our own experiences.
India has the largest democracy in the world and media has a powerful presence in the country. In recent times, Indian media has been subject to a lot of criticism for the manner in which they have disregarded their social responsibility. Dangerous business practices in the field of media have affected the fabric of Indian democracy. Big industrial conglomerates in the business of media have threatened the existence of pluralistic viewpoints. Post liberalisation, transnational media organisations have spread their wings in the Indian market with their own global interests. This has happened at the cost of an Indian media which was initially thought to be an agent of ushering in social change through developmental programs directed at the non-privileged and marginalised sections of the society. Though media has at times successfully played the role of a watchdog of the government functionaries and has also aided in participatory
Media is the most powerful sector of an economy. It is a tool to maintain a balanced society which is characterized by well informed people, effective democracy and social justice. In fact, media has unparallel influence on all aspects of human life in modern times.