Week 5: Media Governance

I believe that Media is an essential living aspect in today’s modernity and civilization that requires regulation just like other life aspects. However, majority of stakeholders in the emergence of media have played role in regulating what serves their interest. Then new concepts appeared to demonstrate equality media in democratic states such as net neutrality, objectivity, copyrights, pluralism, and diversity. And these agents may have worked towards equality, but only on a large scale. For example, in the American media, some outlets have their own trends and orientation that do not necessary represent considerable segment of the American population. And for a foreign viewer media should reflect the public sphere. Thus these media outlets communicate their own thoughts rather than portraying the actual public sphere. It is true that pure objectivity in the media is very difficult to attain, but if we assume it was successful, independent thinkers will be able to reason and to articulate information with their own sense with little influence of the source of information. But media has firm stands, in a way or another it forces individuals to take part of one of the available stands in the media. It makes audiences only receivers that follow what they like, with little space analysis.

However, it is argued that governance and regulating media limits freedoms and restricts the transmission and transparency of communication that is appreciated. In fact, total freedom would lead to chaos, and would produce harmful and unexpected harms that would have social, ethical, religious, and political implications. Therefore, regulations are needed but should maintain essential aspects for communication such as access, transparency, and objectivity. With international communication and globalizations media has enabled organizing and managing the frames of recipients’ exposure in the international arena. And this is illustrated in the existence of customized media outlets to certain regions in the world such as CNN, BBC, and Aljazeera. So does such customization is favored to these audiences? Wouldn’t an African audience want the see CNN exactly like it’s been presented to the Americans? Or maybe someone conservatives would prefer social, religious, and cultural considerations put in mind when these media are broadcast in the region. Which orientation is better? I personally would prefer the first model because it would help understand how the media in foreign countries is channeled, and the people in there countries receive news. Whereas, the second model would make me feel being manipulated in the way these media want to tailor information to suite me in its own perspective.