Free Press U.s.a. and Great Britain

The free press in the United States and Great Britain is a beacon to the world.  In the U.S. A. it is predominantly privately owned and depends on advertisement for its revenue.  In Great Britain, the picture is more diversified.  Built into both systems are allowances for non commercial interests and safeguards that protect the public at large.

Public Watchdog

Many have designated the press as a “public watchdog.”  It is more than that.  It brings news and information to the  public that it reaches.  It constitutes men, women, children, ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups.  Stations have carved out a niche to whom to focus their messages.  Many in America do so through advertisements.  Professionals at these stations are well aware of their responsibilities and report news that make it possible for citizens to vote at the polls.  These analysts dissect hard to comprehend issues and break them down into digestible bits and pieces.

The public watchdog role has often come under attack because the media have recently evolved in partisanship ways.  Some see the New York Times, CNN and CNBC as liberal, while FOX and the Daily Standard as conservative.  They argue that this divide is generated by a particular media’s desire to cash in on the sentiments of the time.  Hence some members of the mass media’s audience question their relevance in being fair and impartial.

Market Place of Ideas

Image via Wikipedia

Some persons bemoan the fact that the market place of ideas are shrinking.  They look at Rupert Murdoch that wields influence around the world with his media Empire.  He owns the Times, Sunday Times, Sun, and at one time the News of the World in the United Kingdom.  In the 1980s, he influenced the conservative politics under Margaret Thatcher.  In the 1990s, he switched his support to Labor and became quite a force for Tony Blair.  In 2001, the Express also endorsed Blair.

Many in America are concerned about state sponsored privileges provided by the media in Great Britain.  They prefer to see advertising as a free enterprise.  Some do not make the connection of the influences of such ads on the nature of programs, but rather see the British model as having sovereign consumers targeted in their informational role.  British programmers see themselves as being able to raise the standards of the viewing public.  In America, media is viewed differently.  It is concerned with the bottom line.  What sells is of prime importance.  Some Europeans view American media as appealing to the lowest common denominator.  That is why some Americans, refer to TV as “the idiot box.”

Media Rights

Media rights are fought for daily.  Some see the concept of “good and evil” being played out when they point to John Milton.  Individual rights may be foremost on the mind to those that subscribe to the philosophy of John Locke.  Attaining that ever elusive truth in reporting may buy into John Stuart Mill’s concept that he expresses so well in his book, On Liberty.

Despite these lofty concepts there is censorship with which to contend.  It may not be state censorship because of classified documents, but self censorship.  Some times it is media policy to protect the identities for good reasons of children and some persons.  Individuals that receive a bad press are also free to seek redress if they think that they have been maligned by malicious reporting. Such libel suits have been brought against some media companies but they are rarely successful.  In America, the First Amendment is still foremost among reporter’s right of free speech.  Each year we hear about freedom of press violations in the U.S.A., Great Britain, and many other countries around the world.

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Unlike a Marxist system like in North Korea and Cuba, that is known for its propaganda, the mass media in the U.S.A. and Britain seek to be responsible to the public.  There may be problems, differences, and partisanship, but they have many attributes in common.

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