A Reflection on Media and Politics

 “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”. This is Article 19 of the Declaration of Human Rights (1948).

A government tends to be totalitarian when the media are controlled by the political powers. Having dominion over information is basic to sitting in power. Media are necessary for a democratic society. 

Media are plenty in form. There are the newspapers, the television stations, the radio, and today the so-called “social media”. It would be quite “nice” if behind these media is diversity of information we can have access to.

Today even the “surveys” have become media too. They too have become means of communication and information. Surveys often serve the politicians. They are “cooked” or "skewed" to orient opinion in favor of certain political lines.

Access to information is basic to a democracy; no democratic system is without this access. But we can ask if this is completely observed in our country. Are the media not in partnership with those in political and economic powers? If this happens—this “partnership”—then the democracy ceases to be “for the people”. Is it not true that many of the media we find in our country today “owe” a lot to politicians (and public money)? A newspaper firm or a television firm have the capacity to use their power of disseminating information in favor of certain political lines. Let us not forget also that politicians “owe” a lot to media. Somehow media present politicians in a certain light favorable to those politicians. “Opposing media” are easily “tamed” by the dominant media. Media people have utang na loob to politicians and politicians have utang na loob to media people.

How do media serve politicians? One way is by making sure that “readers” or “listeners” do not reflect. Put them at a distance from what concerns them. Is it not true that politicians try to impress upon people the idea that people need not get involved with what concerns them. Let the politicians take care of people’s worries. So media will present information without substance. The television screen is filled with data of global magnitudes far from the actual local conditions. Opinions are filled with noise on very impertinent topics. Fear of everyone is promoted on situations that do not happen to everyone.

Ok, there are topics that are presented as well studied and well researched. But they are designed to agree to a system that is already in operation and handled by the present politicians. Media create among the people an illusion that is announced as necessary. Live according to a necessary illusion. This will justify the political powers presently sitting. Then put a big chunk of space and time for the spectacular—like pages on the lives of actors-actresses.

Most of media, helas, have given up their work to elaborate a space for discussion and reflection. Media have become, to a large extent, instruments of political propaganda.

Ok, it is also true that there are the critical minds who do not just swallow what media feed them. They are not the passive consumers of pages and screen shows. But, really we ask, how many are they? How many are those who think critically and stop and reflect…and discuss? Social media may be an index of how many they are. But even their posts are surrounded by propaganda and spectacles. Their views and opinions are flooded with images that, again, dethrone the concern for truth. Very often when we are so entertained we lose track of serious truth…and we might even approve of telling a lie so long as we are entertained. To have access to information is a human right. Information is part of the “common good”—that is, the conditions that allow us to “bloom”. To communicate is a right.

Still, we can be thankful for “social media”--like the facebook--because of their wider scope of freedom. Politicians are disturbed by social media; they find it difficult to control social media. Hence, without surprise, some politicians want to pass laws censoring social media. How effective are social media in our country--and by effective I mean "enough to mobilize people" to do changes and not just to rant in facebook posts?