This role explains the frequent media interventions in cases where these rights and order are violated by the government or other institutions. I`ve already mentioned leading examples of pro-social media actions - the exposure of the Watergate scandal and the Pentagon Papers on the Vietnam War.
These interventions brought tangible results - due to the exposure of abuses, President Nixon resigned, and the war saw fewer American casualties. Unlike in other countries that are grandly called democratic, in the U.S., journalists cannot be arrested for telling the truth, nor can a newsroom be shut down for actively seeking the truth. On the other hand, the government cannot be defamed unless investigative journalists can prove that governmental statements or actions are directed with particular malice against American society.
However, U.S. media are not only about heroic journalists and reporters fighting for the people`s right to information on government actions. Many "business sharks" focus on their own interests and the profits of their corporations rather than the public good. And since violence and sex sell best these days, many Americans criticize the media - take, for example, Michael Moore, a prominent advocate for reducing crime coverage in the news. Those who have seen "Bowling for Columbine" know what I mean. His idea of driving consumption through fear has many supporters among lawmakers, who have long tried to change the popular belief that "nothing sells like a corpse on the cover."
To address citizens` demands and Congressional pressure, the four main television networks - ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox - established a system in 1993 to inform viewers of a program’s violent nature just before it begins. In 1996, commercial and cable networks went a step further, implementing a system that monitors "doses" of violence, sex, and vulgarity in their programming. Depending on the content, an appropriate symbol appears on the screen during the broadcast to indicate whether children and teenagers should watch the program (a similar system now exists in Poland).
Paradoxically, this system was deemed a violation of the First Amendment in the United States. Since 1998, technological solutions have been applied instead, with televisions now factory-equipped with a V-chip, allowing parents to block broadcasts of programs that children should not watch.
Read all articles in the series The Fourth Estate in America.
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New articles in section History of the media
FORTUNE. The story of the most exclusive business magazine
Małgorzata Dwornik
Half of the pages in the pilot issue were left blank. Only one printing house in the country could meet the magazine’s quality standards. They coined the terms "business sociology" and "hedge fund". They created the world’s most prestigious company ranking. This is the story of Fortune.
History of Le Soir. A Belgian daily once free for ground floor readers
Małgorzata Dwornik
It started with an unusual sales policy and articles written personally by the king. This is where the comic hero Tintin made his name. The "fake edition" from the II World War went down in history. "Le Soir" more than once found itself targeted by authorities, censors, and even... terrorists and hackers.
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Reporterzy.info
History of media and journalism. The biggest titles, famous journalists, groundbreaking events in the press, radio, television and internet industries in the world. Stories developed and told by Małgorzata and Bartłomiej Dwornik from the online weekly Reporterzy.info.
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POLITIKA. The history of Serbia's oldest daily newspaper
Małgorzata Dwornik
In 1904, journalist Wladislaw F. Ribnikar founded Serbia's first independent newspaper. Opponents predicted a quick failure for Politika, the government viewed it with suspicion, but readers... were captivated by its new quality. Ribnikar laid the foundations for modern Serbian journalism, but his successors faced mixed fortunes.
The Fiji Times. The world’s first newspaper each day
Małgorzata Dwornik
For 152 years, they have been the eyes, ears and voice of thousands of readers. The Fiji Times, the first newspaper in this island nation’s history, never shies away from politics and knows how to stand up to any government. Even when the consequences are serious.
The Fourth Estate in America: Pioneers of Free Speech - the Press
Urszula Sienkiewicz
In 1990, the press in the United States celebrated its 300th anniversary. Despite an unsuccessful attempt to influence colonial authorities in 1690 and the immediate shutdown of the journal "The Publick Occurrences: Both Foreign and Domestick," American advocates for free speech continued to seek ways to criticize British rule.
The Beginnings and Development of Press Studies
Agnieszka Osińska
In the 17th century, with the emergence of periodical printing, the press became a subject of analysis as a new form of disseminating human thought and social influence. In 1901, Gabriel Tarde, in his study "L'Opinion et la foule," distinguished between a crowd and an audience.