There is no free Press, but there are still free people
The role of a free Press to a healthy, functioning society has long been recognised. So much that many of us naïvely trust the media to be wholly impartial. We trust it to bring up the issues that are important and we feel informed when we have read the daily newspaper and watched the news on TV.
In the parts of the world where the Press is ‘free’ the problem today is that there is in fact no truly free media. Newspapers, magazines, TV broadcasts and radio (and their online versions) are either dependent on funds from third parties, such as owners, advertisers or the state, or they are governed by a political point of view. Alternative media for example are rarely an attempt to give a broader, more impartial view on issues but are often alternative because they simply offer the opposite view than the mainstream media.
I don’t believe this is a problem. I believe the problem is in our blind and naïve trust that the media industry is doing a service to us.
I agree, the world would be a better place if the free Press were indeed free and honour the task given to them. And if that were possible, so would a peaceful world where resources were shared and the worst conflict we would have was how to best share these resources. But that is not the world we live in.
I am however not pessimistic. I am very optimistic.
We can look to other media for the ‘alternative’ view; we can look into other sources for more information. We can discuss things with our family, friends, colleagues, with strangers on the street and on online forums. We can question politicians, visit courtrooms and write opinion pieces.
Danger lies not in the reality of things, but in the ignorance of it. For us to have power over our own lives and influence in our society we must be active.
Let’s empower ourselves and don’t allow ignorance to make us clueless and helpless.
-Reader is a Swedish national based in Malmo, Sweden
