Mass Media in the Public Interest: Toward a Framework of Norms for Media Performance
by Today, Filipinos are drowned in the overflow of noontime and prime time telenovelas that are discussed everywhere – from the nooks of the buzzing cities to the crannies of dormant barrios.
The diversity of human interests and opinions provides effective theories for mass media to move beyond its stagnation. In many, if not most countries, mass media no longer compose single system, but constitute separate, overlapping, and theoretically inconsistent elements. The structure and operation of mass media is rooted in the core values of modern societies: freedom, equality, and order (McQuail: 1987).
We now wonder why televiewers get hooked on telenovelas, especially with GMA-7’s Betty La Fea whose popularity has reached 80 million viewers around the world. So successful that there are more than 30 000 links to various websites on Betty, the ugly and insecure office worker defying the odds. Shows like this received laudable claims all over the world because of its particular mass media conditions – one of it is freedom.
Freedom is a condition, rather than a criterion, of performance. It refers to the rights to free expression and to free formation of opinion. Because of freedom, television shows are largely dependent on confidence given by mass media consumers. It offers a wide range of voices, which at the same time, responds to a wide-ranging demand. Mass media independence is therefore associated with diversity, creativity, originality, reliability, and personal satisfaction. Mass media independence is also associated with openness to novel ideas and liberal understanding of controversial views. These benefits bring unique appeal to news, drama, comedy, and mystery that suit the everyday needs of various social organizations.
The second basic principle, equality, hinders special favors given to mass media gate keepers. Access to mass media is given on fair basis, and the absence of discrimination is practiced. In general, mass media consumers appear to understand the principle of objective performance that helps increase mass media credibility.
The third basic principle, order, projects a wider social harmony in governing mass media consumers. The collective and interdependence of community lives derive from communication processes that call for communicative expressions of identity and uniqueness (McQuail: 1987). The integration of order is magnified in social domains that apply to community and other established structures of relations and cultural domains that apply to customs, traditions, among others of the community.
In conclusion, the basic principles of freedom, equality, and order ignite public interests and drives mass media consumers to extremes, often seeking for opinion and information in a higher degree. Mass media in the public interest is reaching a higher level of constancy, and with its growing impact, it is not impossible that in time, millions of people will begin living their lives in the post-Betty era.
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