1 Jan. 28/05 Theories of the Media and Democracy: Ideology and the Media Objectives:  to introduce key concepts: ideology, democracy  some ideologies  to introduce normative theories of the press Ideology  CC, p. 85 (Dickerson and Flanagan) o An ideology is a value or belief system that is accepted as fact or truth by some group. It is composed of sets of attitudes towards the various institutions and processes of society. It provides the believer with a picture of the world as it is and as it should be (emphasis added) and, in doing so, it organizes the tremendous complexity of the world into something fairly simple and understandable .. An ideology must be a more or less connected set of beliefs that provides the believer with a fairly thorough picture of the world o Key attributes (CC 86)  Accepted by large numbers and passed on in the normal channels of cultural transmission  Moral. Includes beliefs about how people should act and what they should consider right or wrong.  Simplified. Reduces complexity.  More or less coherent. (“families of ideas” CC 87) Raymond Williams: “structures of feeling”: “This doesn’t feel right” Media are powerful ideological institutions, because they re-present and make claims about the way the world is.  they are possibly the most important producers of meaning and the codes of meaning in contemporary society  they are often a central and important part of our everyday lives Ideologies: systems of meaning within which people live their relationship to reality  define what is taken to be common sense, natural  Talking Heads: “Stop making sense”  “You are not supposed to do that”: who is doing the supposing?  Althusser: ideology is the systems of representation in which people live out their imaginary relationship to their real conditions of existence  We believe ourselves arbiters of an experience in fact constructed by ideological codes  Interpellation (“put into the space”): ideology’s ability to assign individuals to specific positions within its own communicative (semiotic) representations of reality

2 o Experiment: write something in first person singular (‘I’), trade with neighbour, read aloud  You come to feel you identify with the I in the text, become part of that life, it’s part of your identity  At film, imagine the represented world as real, you’re in it. Where are you standing? What can you see? Positioned by camera.  I, you: deictic: words whose meanings shift to reflect the situation in which they are used  Pseudo-individualization: ads “you”; “the composition hears for the listener” Ideology not a biased view of a reality that can be described outside of ideology  Ideology mystifies in two ways: o presents itself as natural, universal; hides its connection to the interests of particular social groups or power blocs in society-- Marx: in every epoch, the ruling ideas are the ideas of the ruling class (The German Ideology) o it creates the reality it represents, eg., patriarchy represents women as the weaker sex; this perpetuates the privileged position of men in society; boys and girls treated differently by parents  everything in capitalism becomes a commodity; thus things need to be commodities; but your labour could be rewarded on the basis of people’s need for a humane life Struggle over ideology  struggle to make specific meanings and stories into taken-for-granted representations of reality  Blake: I must have my own system, or be slave to another man’s. Jaap van Ginneken (1998, cited in MCIC 5/5, 236) News triangle: News value, organizational structures, dominant ideology Five categories of values that are promoted continuously and hence tend to dominate in the news coverage of western democracies 1. The economic values of free enterprise and a free market (vs. market regulation) 2. the social values of individualism and social mobility (vs. collective rights) 3. the political values of pragmatism and moderation 4. the lifestyle values of materialism and autonomy 5. the ideological value that the West’s point of view is based on scientific reason, while the views of the Second and Third Worlds are based on dogma Principal Ideologies  Liberalism  Conservatism  Socialism and Nationalism  Environmentalism and Feminism  Democracy, especially the variant Liberal Democracy

3 Liberalism  “free”  Grew out of a tradition of thinkers o Locke, Smith, Hume, Jefferson Main principals of Liberalism  personal freedom (absence from coercion)  Limited government  Equality of right  Consent of the governed (CC 90) Classical Liberalism  power of doing whatever does not injure another … the natural right of man has no other limit than those which are necessary to secure to every other man the right to free exercise of the same rights (Dec. of Rights of Man and of the Citizen)  arose out of the struggle for democracy in England, France, and USA (Give me liberty or give me death) Reform Liberalism  TH Green: o When we speak of freedom, we should consider carefully what we mean by it o We do not mean merely freedom from restraint or compulsion, we mean a positive power or capacity of doing something worth doing or enjoying … in common with others o The emergence of social welfare policies Democracy  an ideology  a system of ideas about political organization of a demos/kratos  liberal democracy tied to ideology of liberalism and capitalism as its economic expression  literally, rule by the people Key features of modern democracies  elections of representatives to govern majority (RP Wolff)  by voters consisting of entire adult population (Persons case)  whose votes carry equal weight  who are allowed to vote in secret without coercion  for a limited time: accountable to re-election or rejection Normative theories of the Press Normative: systematic approaches to the proper role and function (here, of the press) Authoritarian, Libertarian, Social Responsibility

4 Authoritarian theory  the media are a tool of authority  involves a concentration of power among rulers  a range of such regimes o ‘benign’ kings/rulers: Sauds in Saudi Arabia o military dictatorships o one-party states o dictators Key characteristics of authoritarian regimes  strict licensing or monopoly of ownership (cf. England, France in 16th c.)  prior restraint on content  post: censorship  threat of jail or capital punishment on editors, journalists, readers  China: withdrawal of certain press freedoms in HK Libertarian theory  we’re rational, should be free from government intrusion, and can discover the truth  the press are an extension of the individual’s absolute right to freedom of expression: Milton, liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience above all liberties  the free marketplace of ideas  at extreme: no role for the state  no distinction between indiv right to freedom of expression and private media corporation’s right to freedom of expression o corporations speak up for individual freedoms  Ruggles: commercial free speech  protects security of private ownership Social Responsibility theory  balances individual rights with the welfare of society  concerned about equality of result, where overall benefit of the many may override the individual  more extensive role for the state  related to reform liberalism and the rise of the electronic era  Crucial belief: the media and their products are not a commodity like any other: they’re central to democratic expression, therefore a public good o Herman and Chomsky, a public trust o A natural resource, like air or water  Democracy’s oxygen  democracy must protect the interests of the majority against the harm of extreme individual freedoms, but also promote diversity of views (not just variety), and protect rights of minorities (against egregious harm) Principal differences

5 Libertarian Media State must not intervene

SR Media State may regulate To protect undersupply To protect against harm or offense To ensure universal access To promote effective, fair competition Freedom of E is absolute FoE is limited only when public interest is at stake Ideal type: books, newsp, mags, net Ideal type: radio or TV Acts Watchdog role: stop abuse Fourth estate (like leg, judiciary, executive); may Generate policy recommendations