The Samoa Observer Poster Essay PDF

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Summary

Select and describe a media platform (Newspapers, the Internet), outlet (e.g. Radio
New Zealand, The Guardian), or text (e.g. television program, blog post). Consider
the ownership or control of your chosen case study, as well as the intended
audiences/users.
Analyse and disc...

Description

The Samoa Observer, founded in 1978 by Editor in Chief Gatoaitele Savea Sano Malifa, is the largest newspaper group in Samoa and the only newspaper that prints 7 days of the week in English and Samoan. The aim of the paper is to provide information about international and local news to their intended audience; the public of Samoa. It champions the ideals of freedom and truth in the media but lacks accessibility, universality and visibility within an online context. This essay will prove that the Samoa Observer provides a functional platform for the promotion of the public sphere in print but challenges the public sphere through lack of accessibility, visibility and universality on its online platform. This poster will define and describe the public sphere. It will then describe the ideology and commercialization of the newspaper. It will lastly explain how the newspaper limits the advancement of the public sphere. The Samoa Observer is a platform for the public sphere. Public communication is a process oriented towards shaping collective decisions on matters of the common good” (Hanska-Ahy, 2012, p. 27). The public sphere is a realm of social life in which public opinion can be formed without influence from the state (Habermas, Lennox, & Lennox, 1974). The Samoa Observer has the basic aim of informing the public in order for the public to form a public opinion and to do this, it must encompass the three defining characteristics of a public space guaranteed to all citizens within the public sphere; accessibility, universality and visibility (Coleman & Ross, 2010). Accessibility refers to the public space in which citizens can have an equal right to discuss their issues, despite their status. Universality refers to the aspect of a public space where “public affairs are of universal relevance and circulate within spaces from which nobody can be justifiably excluded” (Coleman & Ross, 2010, p. 26). Lastly, visibility deems that before a public space can be accessible or universal, it must be visible to all. The Samoa Observer provides information for the public of Samoa. The creation of the paper was because “the government is virtually a one-sided government and people are saying that without the Samoa Observer there would be no opposition” (Dateline Pacific, 2018). The newspaper promotes the public sphere by informing the public and allowing the people of Samoa to form their own opinions without state influence. The main ideal the paper promotes is an era in Samoa where there is freedom and truth within the media and in the public sphere – independent from the government. However, the Samoa Observer hinders the public from receiving the truth by requiring a subscription of $9.99 US ($27 WST) for online editions. Within the context of Samoa, the minimum wage is $2.30 WST ($0.50US) meaning the public,

especially younger generations, cannot realistically afford that amount. This creates a problem as there has been a shift in the consumption of news as younger generations are increasingly using social networks as their primary source of access to news (Newman et al., 2018). The Samoa Observer is limiting the growth of the public sphere online as the public sphere cannot be functional without accessibility, universality and visibility. A public sphere should have unrestricted access and be open to criticism for failing to meet generally agreed upon standards of openness (Coleman & Ross, 2010). The Samoa Observer’s online subscription cuts off access to all newspaper editions uploaded online. The principle of universality is excluded online as those that cannot afford the subscription are unjustifiably excluded from the space of discussion in the public sphere due to their status. The public that cannot afford the subscription has no access to this source of news meaning they cannot contribute to the discussion of their issues. This leaves them with little influence within the public sphere. The news group is not even open to criticism as shown through the screenshots of the many complaints the public has made on social media about the inaccessible news stories with no official response or action from the company. Through its commercialization of its online platform, the Samoa observer is only allowing the upper-class of the public to access and receive and the news available and therefore is limiting the growth and equal influence all members of the public can have on the public sphere.

In conclusion, the Samoa Observer is a platform that limits the advancement of the public sphere through the lack of accessibility, universality and visibility it offers with its newspaper. The Samoa Observer is able to be a platform that promotes the principles of the public sphere through informing the public, providing the truth and championing media freedom through its print form. However, its commercialization on its online platform completely challenges the main aspects of a public sphere and therefore limits the public sphere by giving a disadvantage to the citizens that cannot afford the subscription fee. They are unable to view the news and therefore cannot equally contribute to the discussion in a public sphere. The Samoa Observer is unable to provide a functional platform for the public sphere to progress until it is equally inclusive of all members of the public by requiring accessibility, universality and visibility on its online platform.

(Samoa Observer, 2019)

The Public Sphere (Walter, 2017, p. 55)

Bib Bibliog liog liograp rap raphy hy Coleman, S., & Ross, K. (2010). Imagining the Public. In S. Coleman, & K. Ross, The Media and the Public (pp. 8-28). West Sussex: Blackwell Publishing . Dateline Pacific. (2018, August 29). The Samoa Observer comes a long way after 40 years. Retrieved from RNZ: https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/programmes/datelinepacific/audio/201866008 8/the-samoa-observer-comes-a-long-way-after-40-years Habermas, J., Lennox, S., & Lennox, F. (1974). The Public Sphere: An Encyclopedia Article. New German Critique, 23(3), 49-55. Hanska-Ahy, M. T. (2012). London: The London School of Economics and Political Science. Murdock, G. (1990). Redrawing the Map of the Communications Industries: Concentration and Ownership in the Era of Privatization . In M. Ferguson, Public Communication The New Imperatives Future Directions for Media Research (pp. 1-15). London: Sage Publications. Samoa Observer. (2019, Aug 14). Samoa Observer. Retrieved from Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/samoaobserver/?__tn__=kCR&eid=ARDx7EJD5UmNaLhMqUD87_fiGRh2hdjM1HE_cqCeasKqls3LaTc3dyeYB8Zjg8Txic2BxKX4KC3mLq9&hc_ref=ARR5iwi WdTyuVqtGyAPCDusUtn9lz1qa2ymG1tz-hyQR72pVdMuYQvlQt6WnoGwe5A&fref=nf Walter, S. (2017). EU Citizens in the European Public Sphere An Analysis of EU News in 27 EU Member States. Hamburg: Springer VS....