4. Media and Democracy: Freedom of Speech Flashcards
schumpeter definition democracy
there shall be voting, so an institutional arrangement
there should be more than one choice, so a competitive struggle for the people’s vote.
dahl definition democracy
elected officials
free and fair elections
inclusive suffrage
the right to run for office
freedom of expression
alternative sources of information
associational autonomy
freedom of speech two criteria
freedom of expression (individual)
alternative sources of information (pluralistic media)
expression
sources of information
freedom of speech definition
The right of a person to articulate opinions and ideas without interference or retaliation from the government
Milton’s Curse
the selective and unprincipled defence of free speech.
–> if the government is not involved, it cannot be a breach of freedom of speech.
because of the unprincipled defence of free speech, one will only defend free speech when it is to their advantage
limitations on freedom of speech
libel and slander
obscenity
discrimination
copyright violation
revelation of classified information
struggle in freedom of speech
limited interpretation by government vs. the more expansive interpretations by opposition and media themselves
interpretation differs
role of the media in a (non)democracy - dog metaphor
watchdog
lapdog
guard dog
junkyard dog
watchdog
= press needs to monitor the state
main characteristics
- substantial autonomy for press
- press represents whole population, not just dominant groups
- press has independent power to challenge dominant groups
autonomy, represents whole population, independent power to challenge
lapdog
= oppsite watchdog, not monitoring the state
main characteristics
- media submissive to authorities
- lack of independent power
- only interested in powerful groups
- framing all issues in perspective of highest powers
submissive to authorities / no independent power / interested in powerful groups / framing for perspective highest power
guard dog
= media are a sentry (shield) of the (local) power structure
main characteristics
- media show deference towards power structure
- press represents dominant part society
- threat from outsiders: press attacks
- threat from insiders: press attacks
why is guard dog mainly applicable to local level
costs less money and you have more personal relationships at that level. Also gives a more positive reporting
junkyard dog
= use exaggeration / harassment and sensationalism
main characteristics
- media submissive to perception of readers
- independent from state, but serve commercial interest
- only interested in readers
- only reporting on popular issues
commercial. reporting on popular issues
implications about role of media (about ‘dog’ metaphor)
at the national level, watch dogs are the best.
at the local level, guard dogs is acceptable, although watchdog is preferable.
lap dog and Junkyard dog are examples of unhealthy role press.
the watchdog and junkyard dog have complete media freedom, whereas the guard dog has limited media freedom. The lapdog has no media freedom.
media freedom
the ability of the media to safely criticize the government.
safely criticize government
