Role of media in Democracy

Presented by
Sudhakar R.Iyer
Ph.D researcher,
Adarsh College,Badlapur
 Mass Media
Sources of information and news such as newspapers,
magazines, radio and television, that reach and influence
large numbers of people (Oxford Advance Learner
Dictionary)
Media is those means of communication that reach and
influence large numbers of people, especially newspapers,
popular magazines, radio, and television
(yourDictionary.com)
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies,
including the Internet, television, newspapers, and radio,
which are used for mass communications, and to the
organizations which control these technologies
(Wikipedia)
 Democracy
Government of the people, for the people and by the
people (Abraham Lincoln-1859)
A system of government by the whole population or all the
eligible members of a state, typically through elected
representatives (Wikipedia)
Form of government, where a constitution guarantees basic
personal and political rights, fair and free elections, and
independent courts of law (Dictionary.com)
b : a government in which the supreme power is vested in
the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly
through a system of representation usually involving
periodically held free elections (Merriam Webster)
 Mass Media and Democracy Relationship
According to European Union’s Report (1998) , in a
Democratic Society, Media should be:
widely available and accessible
reflect the pluralistic nature of such society and are not
dominated by any one viewpoint or controlled by one
interest group
make available the information necessary for citizens to
make informed choices about their lives and their
communities
 provide the means whereby the public debate which
underpins free and democratic societies can take place,
means that the market will not necessarily deliver its own
Media Market Developments
Convergence : Different media like newspapers,
radio, television, telephone and internet are
increasingly being fused together, technologically as
well as economically
• Concentration : Media companies are being merged
together and controlled by fewer owners
Globalization : The media are owned by multinational
companies broadcasting across the borders
Commercialization : Advertisements are sneaked into
entertainment as well as news stories
Commercial Influence : Advertisers and owners have
influence on editorial decisions
Role of Media in Democratic Society :
Help foster advocacy for media with legislative and
regulatory bodies
Increase flows of advertising revenues to the regions
(decentralization)
Increase access to and ownership of production and
distribution Increase investment and loan opportunities
for regional media
Increase horizontal ties among media professionals
Expand educational and practical programs in electronic
information gathering and dissemination
 Expand educational and practical programs in business,
management, and technical skills Increase professional
contacts and collaboration between domestic and foreign
media companies and institutions
Actors of Media Reforms in Democracy:
Consumers
Individual producers (reporters, editors, technicians,
business managers)
Content provider companies (wire services, think
tanks, NGOs)
Training institutes, universities
Independent regulators
Media monitors (political polling agencies, policy
institutes, advocacy groups, governments, advertisers)
 Professional organizations (journalism and business
associations)
New technology gatekeepers (infrastructure
developers, software creators, trainers, investors)
Media as Watchdog in Democracy:
Primary democratic role of media is to act as
“Watchdog” overseeing the state
 Revealing malpractices in the state authority
 Facilitating a general debate about the functioning of
the government

How to be a good “Watchdog”?

 By following Objectivity
 By achieving complete independence from the
government
 Public V/S Private watchdogs
PUBLIC PRIVATE

Show less Show more

resistence resistence
Less liable to be  More liable to be
subverted subverted
 Less legitimacy Greater legitimacy
 more check &  Face less
balance obstructions
Consumer Representation:
Thomas Carlyle argues: The press should be;
 Deemed a “POWER”
 A Branch of Government
 Having Role in Law-Making Process
 Having Will of the People
It means that Media is dependent upon the will of the people, who
decide the fate of media being the consumers of that industry.

It is the phenomenon of the fabulous force in the histories of the press.

For instance; in Britain the press progressed in three stages:
 It was subject to state censorship and an extension of the state
 It was dominated by political parties and served as an extension of the
Party system
 It became a market-based industry eyeing on sale and representatives
of the public rather the Political System
Flaws in Consumer representation
Media Monopoly The Free Market-Based Media gave birth to
Media Conglomerates. For example; News Corporation, Harper
Collins, Bertelsmann group, Time-Warner, International
Thompson, Sony Corporation etc.

Heavy Capitalization Huge investment is needed to enter

today’s media market Low investment leads to low quality and
high price

Prevailing market structures constrain and impose limits in the

“DIVERSITY” , that was achieved through expansion of media

An Unequal Relationship between large and small media

competitors Failed to increase or even sustain the Ideological
Diversity of public affairs.
 Informational Role of Media in Democracy:

The informational role of media is in the sense that:

Facilitate the self-expression

Promote public rationality

Enable collective self-determination

These functions can be fulfilled through the process of
free market
 Role of Free Market Media:
Allows anyone to publish an opinion who wishes to
 Ensures that all significant points are aired
A wide range of information is made available from
diverse sources
Provides neutral zone for the information of public
opinion

The Ultimate effects are:

 Well-Informed Masses
 Good Judgment Wise
 Government
 Flaws in Informational Role of Media:
According to Robert McChesney “ The major beneficiaries of
the so-called Information Age are wealthy investors,advertisers,
and a handful of enormous media, computer, and telecomm.
corporations.” (Rich Media Poor democracy ; 1998)
Market failure has limited individual freedom of expression
prevented public debate by informing it through diverse sources
Failure of the press to keep pace with the requirements of the
society
Development of Media concentration and restricted market
entry has put barriers in the way of Public discussion and has
lost its earlier reality in it
Public rationality has been impaired
Collective direction has been weakened
Sale factor of media has drifted it away from the real objectives
Conclusion:
Media should:
Empower people
Foster sectional solidarities
Assist in the functioning of the organizations
Represent the masses effectively
Sustain vigilant scrutiny of the government
Provide a source of protection to the masses
 Try to create societal compromise with the help of
national consensus
Thank You