* Ignacio Ramonet , who already played an article, is undoubtedly one of the journalists more recognized worldwide. Critical relentless journalism "as" the power groups, be they economic or political, often with his articles exposing some of the most servile practice of journalism.
Intervention Ignacio Ramonet in CIESPAL, Quito (Ecuador). Summary Silvia Arana.
In these times of neoliberal globalization, information has become one of the main problems of democracy. It was felt that in a democracy one of the three powers could commit abuses (justice can condemn the innocent, the legislature may enact laws that discriminate against a segment of the population, such as laws against immigrants in the United States or France) . The role of the media to report such abuse. Media mass media can influence public opinion, this is what is the fourth power, or counter. The power in the service of citizens served to oppose the evils of slavery which was legal in the newest democracy, the United States and in European countries such as France and England who practiced colonialism, another unfair system, but legal in democracies. The press led campaigns against both systems.
the past 15 years, took hold as neoliberalism and globalization, the fourth power-as a counter-has been disappearing.
Private was imposed on the public, the individual over the collective, and the media have largely ceased to be a counter. Means belonging to media groups (Murdoch, Google, Blackberry) that expand with the digital revolution, breaking the barriers, with the dramatic expansion of the Internet.
Mix all areas: mass culture, information, communication and internet. Media groups that handle all these areas are multinational, planetariums. These mega-groups, whose existence is made possible by the soft anti-trust laws, are key players in the global power. And are not intended to be a counter, are fourth power only as an addition to the other three powers, use their power to oppress the citizen. The question is how to oppose citizenship, you must create a fifth power, oppose the force citizens to denounce the forces that act against the people. This situation occurs in Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil.
When Chavez took power media groups were launched against the democratically elected Government. One can have different views of the Chavez government, but there is no denying that the media uses falsehoods to defend their privileges and resist social change. Assume the role of dogs guardians of economic, ideological, are landowners media. The case of Berlusconi in Italy is an example: first built a large fortune, then purchased media and then won the election.
Among the media wars against democratically elected leaders can mention the media war against Chavez to prevent or concrete reforms in the seventies, the war of the newspaper El Mercurio against Chilean President Salvador Allende, and the war in the eighties the newspaper La Prensa against the Sandinistas in Nicaragua. Or the media wars against the presidents of Brazil, Argentina and Ecuador. Not only are the traditional powers but also those who attack the media they use as cover, as a combat weapon, the defense of "freedom of expression." The information disseminated by the media is contaminated by all sorts of falsehoods. Use it as a commodity. The media has become the arm, or apparatus, ideology of globalization. Media and globalization are two concepts linked. How can we demand the truth? The media are in the service of economic and financial power, and below is political power. Every day increases the economic, financial and media at the expense of political power is the only democratically elected.
The media do not respect the laws of the information but they deal with the laws of market supply and demand. In appearances information by internet or television or radio is free because there is information that is sold, but people who sell to advertisers. Journalism has changed fundamentals: rhythm, which is instant and the instant it is difficult to verify, multiply the errors is living in a state of uncertainty information, the spectacular, privileging the horror, the macabre fascination with violence as visual, is based on the false equation "seeing is understanding" really what you see is not forced what has happened. It has created a tremendous simplification, a childlike reading.
Moreover, today communication is confused with journalism, there are millions of users of Facebook, Twit-it can either organize campaigns for positive community causes as well as information to help create confusion. This large amount of reported information creates a wall that hides the lack of real information and function as censorship, censorship "democratic." This information gap appears Wikileaks, which shows: one, they do not really know what happens in Iraq or in Afghanistan or the State Department the United States. Y two, that journalists are unable to report. There is a crisis of identity: what is a journalist, what journalism is, what is news. The media act according to the laws of the market: news is what can interest more people. Have lost consciousness of his mission. What is truth? What is the lie? How Wikileaks has demonstrated, the truth may lie. Repeat ad nauseam something is demonstrating its accuracy, another false equation. Wikileaks much like social networks, made possible by the internet-help resist. Latin American social movements historically used community radio as instruments of resistance, now use also the internet.
can make a parallel with what happened with food. There were shortages of food, and still in some countries after the agricultural revolution allowed to produce in abundance. Today we know that many foods are toxic, can poison (the case of "mad cow" for example). The same applies to the information, is contaminated. Just create an information ecology to clean it, to respect the truth, to improve the quality of information and improve the quality of democracy.
* Ignacio Ramonet is Director of Le Monde Diplomatique Attac movement and co-founder of Media Watch Global, a professor of communication theory at the University Denis-Diderot, Paris VII)
Last Updated (Sunday, 13 March 2011 22:53)
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