Media Countering Democratic Backsliding
~A research project by Governance Innovation Labs
Background
The media is a strong tool which educates, informs and entertains us. It is a crucial channel for informing the public about politics and has a significant impact on setting public policy and opinion. But concerns over the state of media outlets have been raised in recent years. Distress caused by attacks on the impartiality or independence of the media. Changes in the media landscape have increased polarizing language and false information while also resulting in budget cuts to local and investigative journalism
Why does the media matter for democracy?
A key component of democratic engagement is the media. It establishes a forum for discussion, debate, and opinion sharing. It acts as a channel for interaction between the public and legislators, enabling them to share their opinions and suggestions, providing the public with the knowledge they require to engage, and giving the public’s voices a platform. By reporting on issues and providing direct inspection through interviews, the media also helps to keep politicians accountable.
The public’s view is formed in large part by the media. It has the power to affect the public’s understanding of a subject, the subjects they deem significant, and the information they rely on when making general political assessments through the substance and tone of its coverage.
Current difficulty with media independence
Because of the crucial responsibilities that the media play in shaping public opinion and promoting political accountability, politicians who engage in “democratic backsliding” around the globe frequently pose a danger to media freedom. This can take a variety of forms, including overt censorship, legal prosecution, violence against journalists, budget reductions, and takeovers of purportedly independent media organizations or regulatory bodies.
What does a free and healthy media look like?
High journalistic standards, media independence, plurality, and the presence of unbiased channels are all necessary components of a free and robust media.
- Media independence: This describes editorial freedom from both monetary and political influence. Politicians have the right to respond to information about them in the media, but media organizations and individual journalists must maintain their independence by not being unfairly pressured to report or exclude certain facts or points of view.
- Media pluralism: A diversified industry that offers a variety of perspectives is necessary for media pluralism. Pluralism may be threatened by monopolistic ownership if it narrows the spectrum of opinions expressed. Beyond that, diversity is best achieved through a combination of market-oriented outlets, public service media and media presence in local, community, and minority settings.
- Unbiased media outlets: The public supports the purpose of neutral media sources in ensuring that the public has access to unbiased information.
- High standards from journalists: High standards of fact-checking and verification, avoiding misleading emphasis, protecting sources, and respecting privacy are all part of journalistic ethics. Additionally, these enable the media to combat misinformation instead of unintentionally spreading it.
Challenges and Criticisms
- Media Bias: When individuals are only provided with material that confirms their own opinions, media bias has the power to polarize audiences and skew public perception. This may make it more difficult to make the nation truly democratic.
- Media Ownership Concentration: When a few influential companies control the majority of the media, it can hinder the media’s capacity to represent a wide range of opinions and the interests of the general population. Conflicts of interest may result from this, whereby media outlets put corporate objectives ahead of journalistic ethics.
- Disinformation and false News: Democratic processes are seriously threatened by the increasing amount of disinformation and false news, especially on social media. Election results may be manipulated by disinformation, which can also undermine public confidence in democratic institutions.
Recommendations to safeguard role of media
- Even though it might be uncomfortable, politicians must recognize the media’s function as an outlet for public discourse and a means of holding them accountable. In practical terms, this involves acknowledging the value of an independent, pluralistic media and taking steps to safeguard the autonomy of authorities and public-service stations from political influence. It also entails being mindful of the risks that unrestricted media freedom and industry-driven developments might pose to a robust democratic engagement.
- The media must acknowledge its potential influence on public life as well as the associated responsibilities. This involves emphasizing the value of truth via fact-checking news reports, disputing other people’s inaccurate or deceptive statements, and giving priority to the availability of reliable information.
More generally, it is the duty of both parties to strike a balance that encourages constructive dialogue, guards against false information, and keeps society from becoming more divisive. - Media organizations should take self-regulation methods to enforce conduct standards through open and inclusive processes. The political, cultural, and economic context in which journalists operate should be compatible with these self-regulatory frameworks, and the general public should have easy access to them.
- Adhere to high standards of information provision that meet recognised professional and ethical standards.
- Media outlets should refrain from and make a point of avoiding hate speech, prejudice, misinformation, and propaganda. War propaganda should never be spread through the media. If the media inadvertently reports anything incorrectly, they should fix it right away.
- Pluralism in the media industry must be embraced and advanced.
- One should be mindful of the possibility that the media and its reporting may perpetuate prejudice or patriarchal and discriminatory preconceptions of women, minorities, and other groups vulnerable to discrimination. Integrating broad equality concepts into media and journalist professional standards of conduct is a good idea. In order to prevent or worsen intolerance, such policies should also establish minimal requirements for reporting remarks or other acts of prejudice.
- In order to guarantee that the media industry is diverse and includes women and representatives of minorities at all levels of media production and distribution, including management and decision-making, it is important to address internal structural discrimination and bias in the industry.
REFERENCES:
https://mediahelpingmedia.org/ethics/impartiality-in-journalism/
