Media Laws And Ethics In The Contemporary World

Media is defined as the transmitting channels to large audiences using sophisticated technologies. Different civilizations played their roles in developing different media channels. Persians invented the postal system. Egyptians developed the papyrus. Chinese introduced printing. Europe contributed by inventing a movable printing press. The Western world gave Cinema, Radio, TV, and the Internet. 

These media outlets helped advance information and science and affected human societies. The effect has been reciprocal i.e., one affecting the other and vice versa.

Media is a defining characteristic of the political, economic, social, religious, and cultural system of a country or society. In a communist society media will be restricted, in a democratic system media is a platform for ideas. Media acts as a marketplace of ideas. Similarly, the economic system also affects the media. Advertisers also influence the media. The wages of media persons are also a crucial factor in the development of media.

Social values common in society also are reflected in media. Scandalizing of people is common in our society and media. The moral decay of society is also depicted in media. Some religious values are promoted in the media. Some issues are prohibited so the media doesn’t include these issues. Cultural values are also reflected in the media.

In ideal media conditions, media point out discrepancies in the social, political, economic, religious, and cultural values of a society. By doing this duty the society’s intellectual development is increased/ promoted.

Media also plays the role of shield. It protects against the influence of foreign media and cultures. Similarly, polarization of media occurs because there is a lack of justice in the country. When there is justice in a society polarization doesn’t occur.

Politics and Media

As media is part and parcel of any society anything that affects society has a significant effect on media as well. The governing system of the country i.e., political ideology has a noteworthy impact on media content. In Democratic countries, the media serves as a marketplace of ideas, in communist countries the media has to serve the functional role of propagating communist ideals. In Islamic countries, the media protects and promotes Islamic values.  

In Iran, Before the revolution, the media was following the lead of Western culture e.g. clubs, drinks, sex, etc. But after the revolution, under the Shiite doctrine of ‘Vilayat-e-faqih’ or the Guardianship of the Jurist, which is a political cum religious system for running government affairs, the media also shifted its themes. Films now portray real-life stories, mystical dramas, religious stories documentaries, etc. 

The U.S.A., which is considered the incarnation of democratic ideals, provides another glimpse of how the political system of the country shapes the outlook of media. There are thousands of radios, TV, and cable channels working on local, national, and international levels. They represent all facets of society. Thousands of publications range from adhering to the most absurd and weirdest ideas (UFOs, Scientology, and Doomsday, etc.) to religious and philosophical ideologies that work freely, disseminating their ideas. Thus people are free to choose the content of their choice.

In communist societies, the media had to perform its functional role i.e., to propagate the ideals of communism. In the U.S.S.R, under the leadership of Joseph Stalin from the mid-1920s to 1953, the media faced rigorous censorship. Different departments were made which dealt exclusively with literature, film and TV. They duly censored any material which was considered against the ideology of Marx and Lenin. After the revolution, thousands of journals and foreign books were destroyed in libraries.  

Economic and Media

Mass media comprises of people from the society. The economic condition directly influences the media and media personnel. For example, Hollywood is considered the hub of filmmaking in the world. The famous movie, Avatar: The Way of Water had a production budget of $460 million. On average the film budget runs higher than 250 million dollars. These figures if converted to Pakistani currency are exuberantly high.  In Pakistan, the average film is made with a budget of 100 million rupees or less. The resultant quality is apparent. 

In Pakistan, another pressing issue related to media is the Wage Board Award. When Pakistan came into being in 1947 there was no law for the wages of journalists and employees. With the efforts of the Journalist Union, the Government formed a wage board award. But due to the stubbornness of media owners wage boards were never truly implemented. On one hand, the media owners who are getting more powerful and wealthier criticize governments for corruption and fraud and don’t give the rights to their employees.   

Social Values and Media

The media also mirrors the social system and conditions of the country/society. In Pakistan, there is a huge gap between the different social classes. The Westernized elite, though in the minority enjoys greater influence on media. The TV dramas’ stories are usually set in the world of the rich to glamorize the content. This classification is also apparent in the newspaper. The Urdu press focuses on the common man, as they can understand Urdu. While, the English press, focuses on the Upper and upper middle class. Thus the views of different social classes on different issues are starkly different. 

Due to illiteracy, scandalizing people and looking at people with suspicion is common in our society. Taking the same lead, the media usually involves it in scandalizing people. Allegations are leveled against politicians and other popular figures without investigation or solid proof. If all this is done in the public’s interest it could be justified but this is done to promote viewership and ranking. If one media group has an issue with the government or any other social group, they use media as a weapon against them to malign the government and bring it under pressure.

Religious Values and Media

Religion is a phenomenon that has remained, throughout history, the most powerful influence in molding people’s thoughts and actions. The modern media is the descendant of the preaching activities by different religions’ missionaries.   When Gutenberg invented the movable printing press in the 15th century, printing the Bible and religious texts was its primary motivation. 

Despite the depletion of religion from state affairs in the U.S., the media still depicts religious themes. Ben Hur, Passion of the Christ, and Ten Commandments; are a few of the famous movies that were made in Hollywood, based on Biblical stories. 

Similarly, in Pakistan, Films are released on Eid holidays. TV, newspapers, and magazines prepare special shows and editions on occasions of the birth anniversary of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h), 10th Muharram, etc. Islam prohibits alcohol, gambling, and narcotics, so TV plays and commercials avoid showing and referring to them. Similarly, the attire is also dictated by religious teachings. In Islamic countries, women are usually presented in modest dressings, and laxity in this is condemned by society. 

Culture and Media

The culture of any country or society has even significant impact on media. In Pakistan, there are many traditions and cultures; The Punjab has very colorful cultural traditions i.e., Basant, Shaba-e-baraat, anniversaries of saints, etc. The Pathans of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa take pride in culture millennia old. Baluchistan and Sindh have their own glorious cultures. Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan are no less important, besides the mesmerizing geography. Popular music still has the beats of Bhangra and Rubab. Different dresses; Shalwar Kameez, turbans, traditional braids, etc., still have the mesmerizing charm that can be seen on TV and Film. 

On a global level, the cultural elements of different nations and societies are being incorporated into Global culture. Recently, the Palestinian Scarf became famous the world over, and men and women around the world adopted it as a fashion symbol. It was incorporated in some movies as the attire of protagonists. 

Media and intellectual development of society

During the Renaissance and Reformation in Europe, it was the press or printing that paved the way for the success of the movement. The first thing the Renaissance scholars did was to bring back the knowledge of Greek and Romans in their languages. The works of Aristotle, Socrates, and other Greek scientists and philosophers were retranslated into European languages from Arabic. Ideas of Newton, Copernicus, and Bacons were promoted through different books and treatises. Printing Press accelerated the process of change in Europe, which resulted in Revolutions. After the Industrial Revolution in England, The English Empire became the first global empire. Media helped in these revolutions.

How did the media help in these revolutions? For example, in the case of the Religious Reformation, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Knox pointed out the excesses of the church. They said that the church has changed the face of religion. Each individual must read the Bible himself without the church-enforced interpretation. Their ideas were popularized by the printing press. The people welcomed these doctrines as they were oppressed by the Church for centuries. 

Thus in ideal media conditions, media point out the weaknesses of the society. When people realize that there is a problem they begin to debate and discuss the issue. In this process some people try to present a remedy for the problem, some people adopt them and some refuse. But a healthy atmosphere of debate is created which eventually leads to the solution of problems.

On the other hand, if the media bury or outlook the important issues about society the problem aggravates and becomes cancerous. This results in the deterioration of the collective intellect of the society. The society’s intellectual development stagnates. This is the exact case with the Muslim World, now a day. We are ignoring the burning issues e.g., human rights violations, illiteracy, depriving women of their rights, the declining status of the poor, etc. When Western media points out these issues, we consider them as a threat, instead of discussing or solving them. 

On the other hand, if we want to see the healing effects of media in the modern world, we can look at the examples of Germany after World War II. The country was ravaged at the end of the war. The nation was in distress. Media played a pivotal role in the rehabilitation and rebuilding of Germany on new footings. 

Similarly, we can see this effect after the Dacca Debacle. After the 1971 war, East Pakistan was separated. Pakistanis were demoralized. The media played a positive role and uplifted the spirit of the nation. The Organization of Islamic States or OIC’s second meeting in 1974 was live broadcast on TV. People were given hope that despite the disintegration of the country Pakistan still holds a significant place in the world. This boosted people’s morale. 

Social & moral values exercise a check on media and also influence its functioning and professional and ethical cultures.

Moral values in society exercise a check on media. Some moral values are derived from religion. People in Pakistan, are very sensitive about religion. Recently, when blasphemous content was uploaded on YouTube, people were provoked. The government took immediate action and banned the website in the country. 

Moral values also influence the functioning of media organizations. In US the media organizations work in very professional environments. There is a huge population of female journalists and employees working in media organizations. Organizations have implemented anti-harassment laws. 

Contrarily we see, that when moral values are decaying the same could be seen in media organizations. To increase the sale of newspapers, newspapers indulge in the malpractice of yellow journalism. They malign people, scandalize popular figures, and print indecent material.  

With the decaying political system in the country, governments use advertisements and news quotas as an arm-twisting tool for taming the criticizing papers and channels. Similarly, as the media has more power, the media uses its influence to bring the government to compromising terms. 

Two-way connectivity between media and society.

Media has an exponential influence on the society. It takes a phenomenon from society, enlarges it, and broadcasts it to a huge audience. The audience receives the message, identifies the phenomenon, and reacts to it. Thus the phenomenon effect is pronounced. Media re-magnify the phenomenon and propagate it to a larger audience. This creates a chain effect. 

One example of this 2-way connection can be seen in the spring festival of ‘Basant’. This festival has been celebrated for centuries in Punjab. The media took this phenomenon and propagated it out of proportion. On the one hand, it resulted in a positive scenario, people in the West observed the beauty of the festival and it became a popular tourist attraction. People from all over the world begin to come to celebrate and observe this festival. This resulted in tourist development and the economic well-being of people related to this festival e.g., kite makers, string makers, hotels, etc. 

But on the other hand, this resulted fatally. New types of Kite Strings were produced which not only destroyed electric cables but also in killing of hundreds of innocent people. The government in response could only ban the festival as this phenomenon went out of control and people not only in Lahore but all over Punjab were celebrating Basant. The media could have educated the people about the consequences of using chemical strings. But all they did was to glamorize the festival. 

  Media also acts as shields against the proliferation of aligned cultural values. Thus a cultural shock or chaos is not created. But if the media promotes foreign culture, then intellectual chaos is created. For example, some people support the idea that Pakistani culture is an extension of the Indus Valley Civilization and that elements of Hindu culture are an integral part of Pakistan’s history. The media under the influence of this ideology include Indian traditional values in media content. On the other hand, the other group claims that Pakistan’s history begins with Muhammad bin Qasim’s arrival in Sind. This has confused the young generation, who are still searching for their cultural identity. 

These were some observations. What did you observe about media in your country? Let me know in the comments.