UGEC 2690 Lecture 2 - Politics and the Media PDF

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UGEC 2690 Politics and the Media spring, 2018 Class 2 Why should I obey the state? - The Pragmatic: “Because if I don't they will cut my head off” - The Contractual: “Because the State and I have done a deal” - The Theological: “Because it's God's will” ** MODERN MEDIA THOUGHTS We judge news and cur...

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UGEC 2690 Politics and the Media spring, 2018 Class 2

Why should I obey the state? - The Pragmatic: “Because if I don't they will cut my head off” - The Contractual: “Because the State and I have done a deal” - The Theological: “Because it's God's will”

** MODERN MEDIA THOUGHTS We judge news and current affairs as they come to us via the media, using mostly our inherent concepts of what and how a civilized society operates. In this modern age, practically every issue involves politics.

Bad politics makes good theatre. The actors are usually officials and politicians. From scandals and smears to corruption and power-broking, from no-confidence votes to impeachment motions — see how the post-1997 HK regime has been mired in controversies and continuing governing crises. The men-in-the-street and netizens（網民）can be the actors too, including participants at mass rallies and victims of out-of-the-ordinary events. The fast expanding internet has changed the landscape of media drama, amounting to “trials and character assassinations online”.

An interesting scene in HK is the apparently increasing number of paid “protestors”/actors out there in support of the government.

The political theatre is chiefly brought to us by the MEDIA: 1. PUBLIC’S RIGHT TO KNOW (公眾知情權). Let people know so they can decide. News is presented in the journalistic writing style of “inverted triangle”.

2. “4th ESTATE” (第四權) PRINCIPLES. Press freedom constitutes the ultimate watchdog in a modern society, for checks and balances against the ruling authorities. The people check the press, especially against abuses of press freedom.

3. PUBLIC INTEREST (公眾利益) Vs PUBLIC’S INTEREST (公眾興趣). Are the media feeding people what they NEED to know, or just what they WANT to know? The paparazzi, or “puppy squad” (狗仔隊) Vs HK’s now shelved Stalking Law 纏擾法.

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4. EDITORIALISED REPORTING i/ Balanced and unbiased media – Are “fairness” and “impartiality” a myth? They say we now only have “VIEWSpapers”, not NEWSpapers. Reporting biases and slants can always come under the tag of “editorial independence” (編輯自主). Journalistic self-censorship (傳媒自我審 查) can also go behind the same shield. A newsroom is entitled to being editorially independent and is therefore not exactly accountable to queries from the outside over whether it is “kowtowing” (叩頭) to political or economic (advertising) pressures

ii/ Sensational/Advocacy journalism (煽色腥/鼓吹式報道) – Tear-jerking stories and political advocacies. How far can they go? This is a universal trend. Are they justified in HK’s unusual political scene? And “media hypes” (傳媒熱潮）?

5. In HK, both politics and the media rely on one key word, TRUST: It is not the legal, not even the journalistic but the POLITICAL concerns involved, ie, HK people's fundamental distrust of the SAR government (puppeting) under the Beijing communist regime -- which holds ideology as the second most important tool (after the military) for governance . Any media new control attempts, like what was called Cyber article 23 (網絡 23 條) BEFORE full democracy is materialised in HK would thus only trigger massive suspicion, outcry and resistance.

6. HOW POLITICS EMERGE THROUGH CURRENT AFFAIRS POLITICS IS PERCEPTION (政治就是觀感). And perception is largely formed via the media. While media presentation of a political figure or issue helps shape public perception, citizens' opinions expressed through radio phone-in programmes, polls and surveys also mould journalistic stances, with the obvious intention of "siding with the people", or just being "populist" (populism 民粹主義). It is essentially a PROACTVE (互動) phenomenon.

******************** ** MODERN POLITICAL CONCEPTS Under capitalism ** LIBERAL/DEMOCRATIC THEORY (relatively universal): 1. Trust in individualism, and man's own reasoning. The reader/viewer/listener can decide for himself. 2. The facts, and thus the truth speak for themselves. 3. Free market will take care of the media. Free commercial competition weeds out the bad ("Survival of the fittest" 適者生存). People are free to choose. Freedom basically means freedom of choice. 4. Separation of powers in society = Checks and balances to help ensure a healthy media 2

Political roles of the media under this theory: 1. Serves the people's right to know, and the journalist's right to tell. 2. As the 4th Estate, fulfilling the need for checks against those in power. 3. As political actor - editorialising, siding with political forces and parties. 4. As public opinion leader. 5. As public opinion mirror.

Under socialism/Marxist theory: 1. Media under state ownership (like everything else). 2. Media independence is false consciousness. 3. The state tells you what is good and right. 4. And the state needs to control because: i/ the media would otherwise be owned and controlled by capitalist/ruling class ii/ with exploitative and profit-making motives iii/ tells you only the dominating ideology iv/ conceals realities of class conflict

** POST-MODERN THEORY (fringe but fairly popular): (embraces skepticism/cynicism laced with ultra-liberalism) 1. How's our knowledge of events formed? 2. Do we know the "Truth"? 3. Is "Truth" so important? 4. So called reality ONLY created by the media 5. There is no single true reality (like how high should HK’s “high degree” of autonomy be). Thus: - pluralism helps. - media monopolies undesirable

** MORE CURRENT THINKING: Balanced, fair, impartial media only A MYTH, because: - journalists in general should have absolute values, like freedom and justice, but they don’t, - audiences demand critical, in-depth and analytical information, - media organisations, conventional or online, carry political shades (on faith or favour) - media labels have vested commerical interests, - Machiavellianism: “The end justifies the means” — Politics is neither moral nor immoral, but amoral, 3

- “Mediocracy” – media-led public opinion can lead to changing of governments. Ends

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