2012comparativejournalism_social responsibility.ppt

7/28/2019 2012ComparativeJournalism_social responsibility.ppt

1/34

Comparative Journalism

March 27th 2012


2/34

Four Theories of the Press Contexts

1.) The Cold War

Anti-Soviet theories

Interest in current state of journalism in many

developing countries

2.) Media Monopolies

Anti-trust laws to break media monopolies in the

film industry Government commissions in both the UK and US

looking at problems in the press.


3/34

Four Theories of the Press

Pure libertarianism has failed

But this doesnt mean we need stronggovernment control (Soviet or authoritarian)

Instead we need some lighter form of control(and/or self-regulation)


4/34

Social Responsibility Theory

Written by Theodore Peterson

Graduate of University of Illinois (where his

supervisor was Siebert!)

Peterson was also involved in the Commission

on Freedom of the Press


5/34

Commissions on Press Regulation

Commission on Freedom of the Press (United

States)

Royal Commission (United Kingdom)

At the time of the book (1956) both of thesecommissions had been making their

recommendations.


6/34

Six Points of Libertarian Theory

(According to Peterson)

1.) Servicing the political system by providinginformation, discussion & debate on political affairs.

2.) Enlightening the public to make it capable of self-government.

3.) Protecting peoples rights by acting as a watchdogon the government.

4.) Servicing the economy through advertising

5.) Providing Entertainment 6.) Maintaining self-sufficiency to be free from the

pressure of special interests


7/34

Failures of the Free Press

Newspaper owners have used newspapers to spreadtheir own political and economic opinions.

The press has been subservient to big business and attimes has left advertisers influence content.

The press has resisted social change. The press has given more attention to the superficial

and sensational than to the significant.

The press has endangered public morals

The press has invaded the personal privacy ofindividuals without justifiable reasons.

The press is controlled by the business class and isdifficult to access for people from within other classes.


8/34


Peterson argues that Social Responsibilitytheory agrees with the aforementioned sixprinciples of Libertarian theory but thinks that

news providers have failed to adequatelyachieve each point.

The main reason is that big media businessesare more interested in making money! Somenewspaper companies now owned severalnewspapers.


9/34


Recommendations

The press needs to improve its political andpublic role (1-3)

Advertising (4) should not be more important

than other points Entertainment (5) should be good

entertainment

Self-financing (6) is an aim but there are someoccasions where the government might haveto subsidise newspapers.


10/34

Five Recommendations of

Commission on Freedom of the Press

1.) The press must be accurate

It should fully distinguish fact from opinion Thisit had been doing for most the 20th century.

But (according to Peterson) the press should notjust balance opinions but also evaluate

information given by sources. It should try to givea full perspective of a situation and evaluatetheir truthfulness.


11/34

Five Recommendations of

Commission on Freedom of the Press

2.) It should be a forum for a range of politicalopinions

It should include a range of opinions (not justones the owner likes)

It should keep sight of opinions from minoritiesand local communities.

Presumably the range of political opinions doesnot include communism.


12/34

3.) It should accurately portray social groups

The book cites negroes and Chinese (at a

time in which black people cannot vote in the

US)

4.) It should present and clarify the goals of

society.

5.) It should give full access to important

information.


13/34


14/34

The United States and Neo-Liberalism

The United States is already a developed country.

It is against other countries having trade barriers(because no foreign trade barriers is good for Americanexporters.)

Many developing countries want trade barriers to helpthem develop.

The United States government telling other countriesto stop trade barriers is also a form ofgovernmentintervention.

There is actually still a lot of government interventionin some US industries (particularly agriculture).


15/34

Keynes - Neoliberalism


16/34

Economic Liberalism and Social

Conservativism

In popular political movements such as the

Tea Party there is a strong relation between

economic liberalism and strict Christianity. American Christians often criticise social

liberalism.

Christians may be anti-gay; anti-abortion;intolerant of left-wing social xxx; hostile to

other religions (particularly Islam)


17/34

Criticism of the effectiveness of the press as awatchdog

Balanced reporting actually excludes too manyviews

Economic liberalism places restrictions on manypeople (exploitation)

Increasingly in places (particularly the US) thereare conflicts between economic liberalism andsocial liberalism.


18/34

Why Connection Between Economic

Liberalism and Social Conservativism?

Protestantism emphasises work and makingmoney as good xxx

The state has become associated with anti-Christian beliefs such as socialism orcommunism

Christianity can explain the economic inequalitiesas fate or a test for believers to overcome.

Churches have become networking places forpoliticians and businessmen.


19/34

Why Connection Between Economic

Liberalism and Social Conservativism?

Both economic liberalism and Christianity can

attack xxx xxx.


20/34

Bush


21/34

Fox News

Neoliberal

Social Conservative

Anti-Islam

On Fox News Obama left-wing liberal (Obamaseconomic policies are centre-right)

Popular with viewers increase in market share.

In response some other newspapers have beenchanging their xxx to incorporate neo-liberal andChristian views.


22/34

Is Christianity Becoming Mainstream?

To secular xxx

Instead of interviewing politicians there are an

increasing number of leaders of churches and

religious organisations on Fox News.

Should the news include religious leaders in

their discussion of news topics?

E i Lib li S i l


23/34

Economic Liberalism, Social

Conservativism and Aggressive Foreign

Policy Economic liberalism combined with overseas

policy of war (Iran and Afghanistan) (Iran

2012?)


24/34

Ron Paul

Fox News very ciritical of Obama

But also accused of being biased against some

in the Republic Party that do not xxx like Ron

Paul

PIC


25/34

Enron Scandal

In November 2001 the American company Enron, wentbankrupt.

The share price had very quickly dropped from $90 inJune 2000 to only $1.

The company had hidden billions of dollars of debtthrough many illegal accountancy practices.

Many American investors and pension funds lost millionsof dollars.

Of course people criticised the Enron bosses but somepeople were also critical of the American press for failingto find out about this corruption.


26/34

Murdoch Scandal

Politicians are afraid to criticise Murdoch

because he tries to use his newspapers to

influence voters.

Perhaps he also knows some personal secrets

about politicians.

He bribing the police to make sure they

were not reporting xxx.


27/34

How can the press assist in solving

social and political problems?

How do we decide what are a societyspolitical and social problems?

Many problems may be extremelycomplicated.

Many problems may need scientific oreconomic knowledge that most journalists do

not know. Many problems may be global rather than

national problems.


28/34

How do we decide what opinions

are important?

Whose opinions count?

Political Leaders Leaders from other political parties (including

which parties?)

Experts (professors; researchers)

Religious Leaders

Business Leaders

Ordinary People


29/34

Political Economy

Many from political economy approaches to

media research have criticised the

dependence of the United States media on

advertising.

They claim that


30/34

The first filter, ownership, notes that most major media outlets are owned by large

corporations.

The second, funding, notes that the outlets derive the majority of their funding

from advertising, not readers. Thus, since they are profit-oriented businesses

selling a product readers and audiences to other businesses (advertisers), the

model would expect them to publish news which would reflect the desires andvalues of those businesses.

In addition, the news media are dependent on government institutions and major

businesses with strong biases as sources (the third filter) for much of their

information.

Flak, the fourth filter, refers to the various pressure groups which go after the

media for supposed bias and so on when they go out of line.

Norms, the fifth filter, refer to the common conceptions shared by those in the

profession of journalism.[27]

I Lib t i Th H d th
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure_grouphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noam_Chomsky%27s_political_viewshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noam_Chomsky%27s_political_viewshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure_group


31/34

In Libertarian Theory How does the

Press remain Independent of

Government Influence? Advertising!

Although you have to pay for most newspapersnewspapers still get most of their money from

advertising. If you were a newspaper editor would you print news

that would upset companies advertising in yournewspaper? Perhaps they would cancel theiradvertising.

American researchers like Noam Chomsky also claimthat many companies have political preferences (e.g.pro-Israel, anti-Communist). Chomsky claims thatadvertisers will complain if newspapers publish newsagainst their values.


32/34

Influence of Advertisers?

Glenn Beck was a popularand contoversial journaliston Fox News

He would often beextremely rude aboutPresident Obama.

But when he said rudethings about Jewish peoplehe was fired from his job.

Many people think this wasbecause of pressure fromJewish businessmenamongst Fox Newsadvertisers.


33/34

US restrictions on libertarianism

P.58 clear and present d

P.59 not used to silence communist press

but some communist leaders

Useful on Supreme Court


34/34

Theory of objective reporting p.61

Fox News (why ask Christians for opinion)

Will never ask Communists

2012comparativejournalism_social responsibility.ppt

Documents