Normative Theories of the Media, Essay Example

Media and communication in general is a very important aspect of societal construction. It makes a major building block in the manner in which the members of society view issues and perceive beliefs. In the world over, the role of the media and the power of communication is a factor not to overlook in any prudent policy formulation (Comstock 1999). The importance of the same is, therefore, enshrined in many legislative units including the World umbrella body, United Nations. This body has been in the forefront in championing Media rights and the freedom. In some countries, the media is overly valued and rated as a major component of growth and development. The level of freedom in the media coverage varies from one country to another depending on the specific legislation of the countries. The media has been used by proponents of change to inflict democracy and champion good governance in many countries that were led by dictators who believed in draconian laws and oppressive policies (Christians 2009).

As mentioned above, the media in general is used to champion a number of activities which are of help to national development. When wrongly used, media can also be detrimental and oppressive since it might relay wrong information and perception to the people in specific areas. Some governments have used media as a tool to champion hatred and propagate civil wars among the citizenry. The function of media, in general is diverse and wide. However, narrowing it down to newspapers and television, these two components of media have helped in a number of transformations (Williams 1979).

To begin with, Newspapers have been in existence since time immemorial.  The civilization which aided in improvement in literary skills opened a leeway to the debut of the newspapers. This was way back in sixteenth century. The use of stone tablets to pass written information to the readers probably was the earliest form of newspapers. This was used in ancient Egypt and many other countries which had earlier showed the intention of civilization. The stone tablets served as a permanent reminder to the readers and hence introducing some sense of permanency in contravention to other ways of passing information such as oral presentation(Williams 2001). The development of the newspapers has taken place for decades and this steady growth can be attributed to the impact that the Newspapers have in society, therefore, the appreciation level of the same (Bird 2010).

Newspapers have impacted society in a number of ways. The same impact is transferred to the development and the enhancement of nationhood among countries and the championing of good governance and education of electorates. Newspapers have historically been used as a platform to educate society. Ignorance is a costly venture to invest in; this is what other people had to say about ignorance. A nation composed of ignorant individuals is a threatened nation; that which is not far from collapse and subsequent extinction. The cost of exterminating ignorance might be extremely high, but the same can’t be as high as the cost of not doing so. Use of newspapers has been propagated by the increase of literacy levels. The literacy level has also contributed to the increase on the level of awareness in a number of factors among citizens. Newspapers, to a great extent, have taken the less travelled road to enlighten the society on a number of issues within a period. Some newspapers are issued on a daily basis, therefore, informing a society on daily occurrences and promotion of citizenry on a more frequent basis. Other newspapers are issued on a weekly basis giving a summary of the happenings for the whole week, through, this avenue; different information have been passed and, therefore, used to champion the reduction of ignorance level in society.

Newspapers have been used to enhance proper governance and champion the rights of the people. Eighteenth century and late nineteenth century was a period that was characterized by a dictatorial leadership in United States. The Women revolution was just picking up, and the inclusive rights of individuals were just being enhanced. The government was tolerant but was not inclusive in terms of policy making and governance in general. The presence of all these factors provided an avenue for the media to come in and aid the society through newspapers. Many leaders championing the rights of the majority came to newspapers as the appropriate channel to fuel the anticipated change. This acts brought to light the role of the media, in this case Newspapers in ensuring good governance((Sparks 1976). In America in the 1960s and early 70s, many groups came arose and demanded different rights. Networks were made to oppose the Vietnam War which America had engaged in and generally the conservative nature of American government.  Which avenue did these fighters use? Of course, it was the media and specifically the literary bit which narrows it down to Newspapers (Sparks 1976). The use of the artistic materials to do this lead to the rise of Dadaism. This is where literary works and artistic movements were used to mock hierarchies and champion the rights of the minor such as Women. These artistic works mocked the skewed leadership and sort to correct the society in its wrong doings. These activities have promoted nationhood and enhanced good citizenship through purified leadership and engagement of the populace. America’s second newspaper, The Boston News-Letter informed the American’s on the political activities in other European countries and, therefore, promoting the stature of nationhood and the sense of belongings among America (Cork 1979). This factor to a great extent, helped in the growth of the current America. In other places of the world, Newspapers are allowed to send observers to sit in the gallery of parliament to follow the proceedings and act as watch dog. This way, newspapers acted as watchdogs and have kept the government on toes.

Newspapers have all through been used to influence the societal mindset and champion the positive social issues. The newspapers have been used to critique and mock ulterior behavior and unacceptable loose morals. Newspapers are important. This could be brought about through different styles. Some newspapers inform the members of society and mock the ills done in society by introducing humor and criticism in their columns. In addition, some dedicate pull-outs and columns for the same purpose. This provides a platform to criticize, correct and clean up the social mannerisms of the society. Other ills and setback to national development such as corruptions, drug related issues and any other bad influence to the population are all handled by the media through newspapers (Shingi 1999). All these contributions in the social light might not be directly related to the promotion of nationhood like promotion of good governance, but nationhood is a holistic area which comprises many other areas intertwining to produce viable results. The social makeup of society is necessary for the development and nurturing of its social maturity. This social maturity is what defines a country in terms of adherence to its rules, level of displace and tolerance among its citizens, the level of coexistence and healthy interaction among the citizens. In this light, newspapers have its fair share in developing a mature state defined by high moral fiber and unshaken moral fabric (Huston 1973).

In the same breath, television has also had much impact on the development of positive nationhood. Television traces its existence from early nineteen twenties when a practical image of the same  was achieved upon conduction of numerous researches by different engineers. Since then, different models and improvement on the quality have evolved and improved, but there has not been a significant improvement in the main objective and the impacts brought by television to the nationhood growth and societal development (Johanningsmeier 2002).

Newspapers might have had some weaknesses such as; it can only be used and be of help to literate people, the use of constant producing paper might increase the cost of production and limit its production, since it is majorly distributed in urban areas, it might limit the physical area cover. All these weaknesses, may have been solved by the introduction of television. Television does not need literacy to watch and internalize the message. Television has, therefore, been so effective in the development of nations. Television takes a more appealing approach to educate the members of a nation on different national issues (Barnhurst 2001). Depending on specific television policies, some of them provide the detailed coverage of the nation’s development providing the electorates with the perfect opportunity to evaluate and put a checkpoint on the government activities and acts of development. This involvement brings the sense of belonging to the members of a county. Any country and government which values its citizens are obliged to provide a constant update in terms of results to its citizenry. This way, television ensures good governance in the light of leadership (Islam 2002).

Television opens the world and brings it so close; as a close as the comfort of a sitting room. This opening of the view of the world to other areas of the world in a convenient way provides a clear approach and the perfect way to influence the thinking of other people. Although, human beings are universal but the interactions are diverse and cultural exchange is necessary for the development of the humanity. Viewing what the perception of other people is in terms of culture and interactions, civilization and modernization provides a perfect avenue to improve and co-exist in a humane and friendly way (Schalinske 1976). Newspapers might write compelling articles on the lifestyles of other communities of the world, but that cannot bring it as clear as watching it from a television screen. This inclusion of social interactions among different cultures of the world is key in tolerance. To a greater extent, television played an important role in the extermination of racism since people realized that human beings were equal and similar in all respects apart from the color. Information received from a television screen presents the message in a less distorted format. It provides the information in its original form and, therefore, increasing authenticity (McCombs 2003). Television probably is the best way to compare two countries in terms of development agenda as it provides the visual approach of the different ways of conduction of ways of living.

The contrition of television to the welfare of society cannot be overemphasized. Television airs programs which have different goals and aims to the viewers. Though the programs, they are able to inculcate a culture. Some programs are viewed as tools to encourage nationhood and increase patriotism among citizens (Cole 2010). The programs are normally sponsored by government agencies. During elections, television provides a perfect platform to evaluate types of leaders. The fact that the citizens are able to physically view them express their thoughts and ambitions to the electorate provides a way of evaluation and choice. They are graded in terms of their interpersonal skills and their level of soft skills. These two and many other factors contribute perfectly to the choice being made during elections. Therefore, television plays an important role in shaping up the leadership nature of society (Berger 1987).

As earlier mentioned, television educates society on various issues that by extension influences the nature of interactions in a country. Television, through the nature of programs aired is a key factor to consider in the upright maturity of society. In countries where the media had the freedom to mock, correct and talk freely on the societal issues, the maturity in the countries and the level of tolerance could not be shaken by the challenges that faced them. (Aziz 2004)

Human beings, being social beings are naturally destined to interact. Communication is the only way to bring this communication to its meaningful context. Communication is only made meaningful by the presence and the vibrancy of the media. Newspapers and television have made tremendous contributions to the betterment of society and promotion of nationhood.

References

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