Media Freedom
Presentation
(Iraj)
Ripples and dominoes, that is the order of the world today… Everything is interconnected and interdependent, an incident anywhere in the world can have adverse consequences anywhere else, our economies, our social structure, the very ideas and beliefs we use to identify ourselves are part of a functional global village. And THAT, is the reason why, in our interconnected world, it isn’t diamonds and jewels that are most valuable… its ‘information.’
We seek information, awareness, and most importantly, a semblance of ‘truth’ about the things we face daily. Luckily for us, we have a way that provides us all that, something we collectively call ‘the media’. But, unluckily, as with most things of value, it is prone to exploitation. By the marketers and PR managers working for the commercialist culture or even the governments that like to ‘control’ public viewpoint by being spoon-fed their own political or commercial agendas. To inform the consciences of millions of individuals and help shape their thinking can never really be a ‘neutral’ task. It requires a determination of media owners, editors and journalists to discharge their duties in a manner that balances commercial imperatives, human rights, social responsibility and national vision. It is unfortunate and disheartening that our media is notorious for processing and filtering the actual truth in many events, creating a distorted reflection that condenses innuendo, gossip, lies, rumors, speculations and suspicions into a form of entertainment, character assassination, scandal or simply packaged as a commercial product that deceives us and we don’t ever even suspect.
It’s ironic that all this is being done by the media which is fully aware of its constitutional responsibility as a guardian of democracy and watchdog of the people.
In the 21st century, media has evolved into an institution with overwhelming power… the power to shape entire generations’ viewpoints. And thus is CRITICALLY
(Iraj)
Ripples and dominoes, that is the order of the world today… Everything is interconnected and interdependent, an incident anywhere in the world can have adverse consequences anywhere else, our economies, our social structure, the very ideas and beliefs we use to identify ourselves are part of a functional global village. And THAT, is the reason why, in our interconnected world, it isn’t diamonds and jewels that are most valuable… its ‘information.’
We seek information, awareness, and most importantly, a semblance of ‘truth’ about the things we face daily. Luckily for us, we have a way that provides us all that, something we collectively call ‘the media’. But, unluckily, as with most things of value, it is prone to exploitation. By the marketers and PR managers working for the commercialist culture or even the governments that like to ‘control’ public viewpoint by being spoon-fed their own political or commercial agendas. To inform the consciences of millions of individuals and help shape their thinking can never really be a ‘neutral’ task. It requires a determination of media owners, editors and journalists to discharge their duties in a manner that balances commercial imperatives, human rights, social responsibility and national vision. It is unfortunate and disheartening that our media is notorious for processing and filtering the actual truth in many events, creating a distorted reflection that condenses innuendo, gossip, lies, rumors, speculations and suspicions into a form of entertainment, character assassination, scandal or simply packaged as a commercial product that deceives us and we don’t ever even suspect.
It’s ironic that all this is being done by the media which is fully aware of its constitutional responsibility as a guardian of democracy and watchdog of the people.
In the 21st century, media has evolved into an institution with overwhelming power… the power to shape entire generations’ viewpoints. And thus is CRITICALLY