Media democratization and social justice

Media democratization and social justice

Media is the fourth pillar of modern global democracy. In its purest form, Media has to be transparent and unbiased in the investigation, reporting and communication of news and other information. Media also has the responsibility of educating the public and broadcasting reforms in public opinion by providing a platform for open exchange and discussion of opinions. Therefore, the media has the power to influence and control global democracy and national political discourse. The development of the internet and other technologies have provided media with new platforms for broadcasting and engaging the masses. Consequently, the Media plays a vital role in the quest for democracy and social justice. In this regard, democratization and establishment of a free media expedite the achievement of social justice in the world.

The term media democratization has gained traction over the past few decades. Media democratization relates to the achievement of media freedom and autonomy. Media democracy means that the fourth estate has the freedom of voice, access and opinion without any form of curtailing by the government or large corporations (Carpentier et al., 2013). Media should have the power to offer a free and fair communication platform for all the members of society. Democracy and freedom create a mass media system that empowers and informs all members of the public and enhances democratic and social values. For that reason, media democracy has the objective of empowering citizens and promoting democratic principles through the effective spread of information (Gilmore, 2012). Furthermore, the media should not be owned or controlled by any large corporations or government that may influence or manipulate its freedom of operation.

Media has evolved to become a watchdog that monitors the leadership and governance of a country. The media supplements the other three branches of the government by providing a system of checks and balances (Altheide, 2013). This is usually through exposing corruption, holding leaders accountable for their actions, reporting on social injustices and providing information to the public that is necessary for rational debate. In this role, the Media facilitates the achievement of social justice and democracy in society. Subsequently, the democratization of the media only serves to amplify the benefits that a nation reaps from a media that is free, transparent and unbiased. The desire to achieve media democracy has resonated equally across the world, leading to a revolution in media freedom (Carpentier et al., 2013). Moreover, the development of new forms of media such as internet podcast, social media and others have been a significant boost in the achievement of media freedom.

Currently, Canadian Media faces a dire situation as local news stations, and other media companies are under threat. Most of the media companies in the country, starting from the large corporate-owned stations and newspapers to small local newspapers and broadcasters are on the brink of financial crumble (Morrison, 2016). This has dealt a big blow to media freedom and democracy in the country.  For instance, Black press closed its daily news while post media network Canada corp fire numerous journalist across the country. Facing shut down from lack of revenue streams, many local media have decided to merge operations through takeovers by other large corporations to escape closure. This status has meant that numerous  Canadian Media have now fallen under the control of a handful of larger companies. The takeover of media companies in Canada is a threat to media freedom and democracy since large corporations are known to manipulate the free exchange of information by the media (Guerrero and Nesbitt-Larking, 2010). As a result, the current state of the media in Canada poses a risk, not only to social justice but to the countries democracy as a whole.

Media democratization directly contributes to the creation of a more socially just world. A free and democratic media provides a platform for the public to air their opinions on different aspects concerning politics, governance and social justice (Gilmore, 2012). The media also provides information to individual citizens which enables them to make informed choices and decisions regarding their management. The media has, for a long time, been regarded as a trusted source of information and news by the people. The Media is also a watchdog that provides oversight to the functions of politicians and the government. In this capacity, the Media calls out corruption and other social ills perpetrated by leaders, hence acting as a voice for the people (Altheide, 2013). Therefore, free media ensures that leaders and politicians are accountable in their roles leading to improved social justice.

The growth of the internet and social media has further contributed to the democratization of the media. Social Media provides a new platform for the propagation of free and unbiased news to the people. Furthermore, the internet has gave birth to citizen journalism which has additionally promoted social justice (Carpentier et al., 2013). The internet has facilitated common citizens to set up blogs, podcasts and internet broadcasts to pass information and communicate with their counterparts. This platform has, in turn, given a voice to activists and whistleblowers to call out any instances of social injustice in society. The internet has also given journalists a platform to widely broadcast and propagate messages relating to democracy and social justice and governance to the people. Moreover, the internet and social media are generally unregulated and are free from bias a manipulation by government and large corporations (Jansen, 2011). Therefore, social media offers a new form of free and democratic media which promotes social justice and democracy.

It is a known fact that not all media is free from biases and offences. When placed in the wrong hands, media has often been abused by being deployed to fuel hatred, further political agendas, and sway public opinion (Jebril et al., 2013). This abuse is usually propagated through tactful reporting and propagation of misinformation t the masses. At the political level, the media helps to animate and frame our understanding of circumstances and events that define citizenship. In essence, this points to the influence media has on justice and democracy in our society. Apart from social justice, Media also influences our cultural and economic standings (Jansen, 2011). Social justice extends to the cultural and economic traits of individual citizens meaning media has direct control. Therefore, people are called to ensure that Media is placed in responsible hands to ensure its freedom and safeguard it from abuse.

In the case of Canadian media, much has to be done to guarantee its freedom and democracy. First, the government has to create legislations that favour the democratization of the media. One way to ensure this is through the creation of laws that protect the freedom of media houses and journalists across the country. The government also has the responsibility of bailing out influential media companies in the country while maintaining their autonomy. The government should not try to convert the ailing Media into state-owned stations as this would curtail their freedom (Guerrero and Nesbitt-Larking, 2010). By providing financial incentives such as tax cuts and exemptions, the Canadian government can help media outlets experiencing financial problems to stay afloat. The Canadian Media should also play their part in finding alternative platforms to communicate and propagate information to the masses. They should explore forms of new media such as the internet and social media to supplement traditional forms of media such as print and broadcast media (Morrison, 2016). Through these measures, the media in Canada will be able to ensure the provision of free, fair and unbiased information to the people, consequently ensuring social justice is maintained. The result of these measures will be the attainment of media freedom and the promotion of democracy for the media and the country.

While the democratization of the media has numerous benefits to the people, it also comes with a few downsides. As mentioned before, free Media faces serious abuse and manipulation when placed in the wrong hands. One of the key issues facing media democratization is manipulation by populist government leaders and politicians (Carpentier et al., 2013). Politicians and corporations can manipulate free media through targeted messaging and advertising. The consequence of this manipulation may be the oppression or perpetration of social injustices of a section of the people. In equal measure, social media may also face abuse as it is highly unregulated. The freedom of social Media exposes it to be used to spread misleading or false information to the masses. The use of social media trolls, bots and influencers have created a new dimension to media and journalism (Vaccari et al., 2015). These social media features have made it easier for polarization of the masses by promoting hyper-partisanship and political divisions.

Fortunately, effective countermeasures have been developed to deal with the abuse of media freedom. To prevent the abuse and bias by politicians, government leaders and large corporations, laws and legislation has been formulated to guarantee media autonomy (Jebril et al., 2013). his is by ensuring journalists are not accountable or at the mercy of such leaders. Media companies operating social media platforms have also put in place measures to regulate the abuse of their platforms. Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter routinely update their software to filter out bots and trolls (Vaccari et al., 2015). All these countermeasures have been put in place to ensure that the media remains free, democratic and free from bias, manipulation or abuse. All in all, media democratization is an essential measure in ensuring the society remains democratic and just.

The main objective of media freedom and fairness has always been to establish social justice by building a society that is transparent, empowered and democratic. Threats to media freedom and democratization include private ownership and commercialization by large corporations. The Canadian media situation offers the best evidence to the threat posed by commercialization of the media. The growth of the internet and the development of social media offer a new platform for the establishment of media freedom. These new forms of media also promote citizen journalism by promoting free and unbiased communication platforms. By examining the different aspects relating to media freedom, it is clearly evident that democratization promotes social justice. Henceforth, it can be concluded that media democratization does indeed contribute to a more socially just world.

References

Altheide, D. L. (2013). Media logic, social control, and fear. Communication Theory, 23(3), 223-238.

Carpentier, N., Dahlgren, P., & Pasquali, F. (2013). Waves of media democratization: A brief history of contemporary participatory practices in the media sphere. Convergence, 19(3), 287-294.

Guerrero, M. A., & Nesbitt-Larking, P. (2010). Media & Democracy: Recent Experiences from Canada and Mexico-An Introduction Policy and society. 29(1), 1-11

Gilmore, E. (2012). Democratization and new media. Irish Studies in International Affairs, 23, 5-12.

Jansen, S. C. (2011). Introduction: Media, democracy, human rights, and social justice. In Media and social justice (1-23). Palgrave Macmillan.

Jebril, N., Stetka, V., & Loveless, M. (2013). Media and democratization. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.

Morrison, I. (2016) Local media and the democracy deficit. Policy Options. https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/december-2016/local-media-and-the-democracy-deficit/

Vaccari, C., Chadwick, A., & O’Loughlin, B. (2015). Dual screening the political: Media events, social media, and citizen engagement. Journal of Communication, 65(6), 1041-1061.