Mass Media

Question 1

Mass Media

Answer 1

Mass Media refers to several deiiferent ways of communicating information to lagrge audiences.

Originally this referred to the ‘print media’ but has been extended to now include:

• Digital Media (computerised images and text)
• Electronic/broadcast media (radio, television, internet and World Wide Web
• Social Media

Question 2

Media Development in the Caribbean

Answer 2

• Came out of the economic and social sitiuations of the people during the early 1900s.
• The trade union movement was shared up with the use of the print media
• Black consciousness groups (Black panther, Garveyism)
• Struggle for political rights that led to independence 1930s-1960s

Question 3

Roles and Functions of the Media

Answer 3

• Information/ Education
• Entertainment
• Behaviou Change
• To Construct Cultural/National Regional Identity
• Watchdog of Democracy - The media is tasked with ensuring that our gov’ts are kept in check and protecting the rights and freedoms of citizens

Case in Point
* Access to Information Act was to be amended in the Parliament to give access to certain parliamentary documents after a longer period of time
* This was discussed at length in the media and the parliamentarians went back to the drawing board.

Information-wise
* Covid 19 Press Conferences (framework within which to operate)
* News
* Documentaries

Behaviour Change/Socialisation
* The media plays a crucial role in ensuring that negative/undesirable behaviour in a society are reduced or elimated. It also helps to socialise new members of the society.

• Jamaica Moves Campaign
• Mosquito Eradication/Dengue Fever Prevention
• HIV/AIDS Campaign
• Covid 19 Advertisements
• Healthy Practices

Construction of Cultural/National/Regioan Identity
* Cultural Programmes (Emanci-pendence)
* Sports (Olympics, Football, Cricket) CARIFTA games CONCACAF Champions League
* National Disasters

Question 4

Purpose of the Media in the context of Caribbean Development

Answer 4

Ensuring citizens have continued access to freedom is importan for developemt; these freedoms include: personal security, rule of law, freedom of expression, political participation and equal opportunity. Therefore to ensure development the four pillars of HDI/HDP must be achieved.

Question 5

Freedom of the Press

Answer 5

The concept of a ‘free press’ has been a controversial issue in the Caribbean and looks at the following.

• Who owns the press?
• The extent to which politics and politicians are able to dictate what is broadcated(slander)/ printer (libel)
• What restrictions are palced on what can be made public?
• Exisiting laws that allow/disallow the practitioners to report without undue fear of harassment/prosecution

Harrassment/Censorship of the Press
* Antigua and Barbuda

As recently as 2001, almost all the media in this country was owned by the Bird Family who were also memebers of the Antigua Labour Party
The nation’ first indepedent station…Observer Radio began to broadcast in this same year after years of seeking a license to operate
The Prime Minister Lester Bird in 2002 sued the station for libel after questionable behaviour was allegedly broadcasted.
Almost all Caribbean countries have had to be questioned since independence in terms of committment to a free press
Barbados- 1996, 1997, 1998, media practitioners were persecuted after opposing the gov’t.

IMP: No country can claim true democracy without allowing scrutiny of its politcal systems and functions.