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poly scijournalism

poly scijournalism Political Science 141 - International Relations I study Journalism, so I felt that I had an opportunity to solidify the media's role in all facets of regional and international relations, with regards to development, transition, and influence (regional as well as global). I first chose examine Daniel Lerner's development continuum, and this as a reference point, to discuss the role mass media plays in global transition and development, in particular how it is suited to aide in the socio-political development as well as the transition from Communism in Eastern Central Europe. Second, I wanted to do a journalistic comparison; I examined professionalism, journalistic integrity, ethics, consistencies as well as inconsistencies among global journalists using U.S. elections as an example. Lastly, I wanted to look at the current situation in Israel and global media coverage related to and influencing the situation. Finally, I will integrate the information and venture what it all means with regards to International Relations and the future. The first point of order is to understand Lerner's views and then to apply them. "The Passing of Traditional Society" written by Daniel Lerner discusses transitional development in depth. The phenomenon is broken down into several factors including "the continuum of psychocultural modernization" (401), the idea is emphasized in great detail; while it is not directed at the issue of transition as it applies to the post Communist era, the concept is paramount to the transitional issue as it addresses socio economic development that applies to a nations growth in any situation or region in today's global system. With the fall of the Soviet Union came a victory for an alternative ideology, not Democracy as many would have you believe, but it was a victory for Capitalism. It is unrealistic to say that the concept of Communism is inferior to that of Democracy, had it not been for widespread corruption (in a system slightly more susceptible to corruption than Democracy) and lack of financial insight (not to mention destructive pride) the argument of which is superior might still be raging today. Lack of natural resource in combination with many other factors played a large role in the collapse of the former Soviet Union but the bottom line was that the system failed because it was less profitable than Democracy, and the arms race became much more about finance than weapons. In regards to facilitating development in all facets Learner writes: "The problem of stimulating productivity, many economists and other professional observers agree, is basically "psychological"" (411). He goes on to state the need to stimulate "imaginativeness" thus attacking illiteracy and apathy as to the possibility of gains in social and economic opportunity (408-411). The cure Learner alludes to, is that the establishment in question must "motivate " the underdeveloped populations with "clues" in the shape of possibilities for improvement in their daily lives (411). In essence they (the underdeveloped public) should be exposed to examples (western lifestyles) of possible prosperity while facilities are being put in place (as necessary as the programming aspect are institutional avenues to facilitate "prosperity") to assist them in attaining these newly discovered desires (Lerner 400-412). The problem of development addressed from the bottom up is consensus and this is where media enters the picture. One can put all of the mechanisms in place, but if the gain (financial) for utilizing such tools is not evident, it is unlikely any progress will be made. The power of implementing change begins with transformation of the perceptions in the constituent population in combination with availability of tools needed to achieve. The incentive is financial gain, which leads to increased productivity and prosperity for all parties. Lerner cites " . . . in the growth of mass media as a shaping influence, is contained a key to . . ." (402). It would stand to reason that mass media would be an essential tool in reaching and influencing the public; and if making fundamental changes in mindset are as crucial (as many believe) a part of the development process, it would make media control the single most important element in shaping any desired future change weather it be developmental or transitional. Lerner's book addresses developmental change, while the issue in question is of systemic transition. The concepts apply without exception because they indicate money as a catalyst for all things good and evil. True power is the ability to influence, to implement change, and to shape popular opinion. Can the media be controlled by the almighty dollar? Can those with an agenda control it with intimidation? The question that comes to mind for me is this, I wonder if our media is really any better off than those (formerly) under government control in Central Europe, which would be more harmful, a government agenda or capitalistic programming, or for that matter one controlling the other. It is clear that in the case of Communism the lack of financial ware-with-all caused it's demise, but could it also be the case that underground media succeeded in changing public opinion and if so might they be better off (than the U.S.) with regards to media freedom today. These are questions that will be answered in the next "global" generation, as history is written, answers to these questions will be evident. Instead of looking at one nation as an example, I will do as I usually do, and attempt to look at trends as a means of establishing possible future events in the big picture. The former Soviet Union has fragmented since its demise, it was made up of a hub with a span of control that drew from this hub. The further west you traveled from this hub, proportionately the less "hub" influence you would see. This was particularly true in the later Soviet years, as its infrastructure began to deteriorate the Soviet Union lost the ability to implement its policies not only on its neighbors but on its own people who, most of which, had been reluctantly controlled throughout history with the use of intimidation and fear. Russia was going broke and its majority looked to a systemic change to ease the grip of poverty. As Lerner's theory suggests the starting point of change would lie in the mindset of the people, this would be a particularly tall order for a people who had been isolated from the world around them, all they knew was the Communist way, freedom of thought was a new concept. In the regions surrounding the "hub" this was particularly true due to stringent censorship, but if focus were to move westward one would notice a change, subtle at first, gradually becoming more noticeable as migration neared Central Europe. Western concepts are more evident in these western regions thus the transformation to western ideas would be less alien. As for the media itself, the publication Eastern European Journalism: Before, during and after Communism written by Jerome Aumente, Peter Gross, Ray Hiebert, Owen V. Johnson and Dean Mills in its discussion of Albania cites, "Journalists talked of their amazement as some visited other countries in the bloc or read an interview with a Western editor to see the differences under which they labored" (Aumente et al. 65). Yet citation of the Hungary media situation differs substantially, " . . . 1976-1988 period in Hungary as a time for the "double media system" when a growing number of illegal, independent sources, and channels of social communications competed with the official media" (Aumente et al. 65). The biggest hindrance in the ability of the media in aiding the transition (from Communism) is lack of technology for production, while also manifesting itself in the lack of access that those, either impoverished or most isolated (by government) during communism, have to the tools that would facilitate (TV, Radio ect.) media communication. It is a well documented fact that the isolative nature of communist rule left great deficits in available resources in implementing communications that were external or global in nature (not consistent with propaganda spreading). Poland is an example of "the best case scenario," it is evident that the transition to non Communist system had began prior to the "fall." The fact that in a very short period of time following the fragmentation of the Soviet Union, Poland suddenly had more political parties than could be counted is a testament to the fact that these parties (in theoretical form at least) were operating underground long before Communism was toppled. During my research (for a presentation) I witnessed many examples of the media bringing to light those things that need to be addressed for Poland to move into a world marketplace. The daily papers are filled with information on political, socioeconomic, and ethical questions that will face the Polish people in the future and by addressing these issues the media effectively stimulate the people to find answers while the public forum brings about consensus. The media agenda and intent currently found in Poland seem to be untainted almost pure at this early stage; the culture is ripe and receptive (due to pre-exposure to free market ideas and benefits) to the "clues" that are available to them, and there is just enough existing technology to facilitate delivery. All of these necessary ingredients are in place and the "best case" scenario is full of promise but, with the promise of prosperity come new dangers. The Polish media is correct in the warning that foreign investment must be regulated lest they lose their freedom to Capitalist predators who would buy up every available piece of Poland's future. Poland would be my model for a successful transition from communism, just as Lerner used Turkey as his developmental model (409,136-168). With the three main ingredients in place, Poland is using the media to form consensus among its people with respect to direction. Its political parties are numerous and fragmented but with the help of the media, the parties agree on fundamental reforms in educational, socioeconomic, and political reform as evident by recent political election platforms. Lost in the optimism of the westerly Central European Countries is the disparity of those to the East. As the focus moves eastward the prognosis for change begins to diminish proportionately (to varying degrees). Sever poverty and lack of resource to provide both the tools of distribution (of "clues") and a means (institutions) of implementing change are in many cases the reason for transitional pessimisms. As the focus approaches the "hub" of the former Soviet Union, even with these two elements a possibility; neither the public, nor the governing body, are culturally able to realize the magnitude and or possibilities of the transformation. In these cases the media has no means and no audience, in these regions some of the same controls over media still exist and the possibility for change is bleak. The media wields such immense amount of power in "shaping" the world in which we live, the need for consistent professionalism; ethics, motivational integrity are paramount. I recently had to write three papers; in doing so I found that while newspaper publications around the world may cover the same topics (on occasion), the tone and content would contrast to varying degrees. I wanted to pick a topic (U.S. elections) and examine differences (if any) in the way the issue was covered in separate regions. I chose our recent elections because I sure they are of interest worldwide and because I felt it would be interesting to see what other nations thought of the events that have led up to the current situation. I also wondered how well foreign journalists would understand our voting system and if they were able to convey that understanding to their Public. I first thought it a good idea to analysis our own media for use as a baseline to comparison foreign sources. I would assume ours to be the most accurate but how ironic would it be if that were not the case. The N.Y Times had three articles on the front page that addressed current legal maneuvering of the two parties. One entitled "Gore Loses Recount . . ." addresses the current mood in the gore camp after the latest round of legal decisions, it is followed by more articles that paint the picture of a difficult situation for Gore looking more ominous after the previous days decisions. There was also an article that outlined the Federal Supreme Court's decision. The humanistic article was what I would consider a commentary on the supposed mood of the Gore camp, I say this because the article contains only one quote and proceeds to a gloomy conclusion. The rest of the articles are word for word court dialog and a text copy of the Federal ruling. These are straight from the source so there is no question as to their accuracy, both also included chronological accounts of the previous weeks activities as introductions. The combination of these articles made information abundant, given the gravity of the situation it is understandable that every angle was covered thoroughly. All in all it was very detailed coverage (N.Y. Times). The London Times was ran a story on the front page that I would consider a quality summery of all of the N.Y Times articles, it was accurate, clear, concise. The article highlighted all of the main subject points contained in its American counterpart while omitting some of the painstaking detail. While there was a small amount of indulgence, it was cleverly surrounded by fact that would logically support the inferences. Based on the coverage (front page) it received, I would categorize the issue as more than a passing interest to the English people while its condensed size and narrowed scope would understandably lead one to infer that the gravity of the situation is far less than our own (London Times). Reuters is the best written of the three articles, it contains the same information (for the most part) provided in a chronological format, it is accurate, very well written (great flow) and more importantly more informative in two important areas. First it emphasizes the fact that the margin is a meager 537 votes out of 6,000,000, I find it unreal that that many people were that close together in the final tally (Reuters). I'm surprised that our media hasn't shown to be a bit more suspicious in light of the fact that it just sounds wrong to say it. Most importantly, the article has what the other two articles (chronological also) lacked; this article had a date after each event it cited, this is extremely important in this situation. I don't feel that simply listing the information in order is enough due to the fact that this whole fiasco has been about time frames and deadlines, which have been key throughout this whole process. A majority of the legal maneuverings have not been about right or wrong but about deadline extensions and trucking this load of votes here reducing the amount of time available to count them. This article is far more adherent to the "chronological" concept in the meticulous use of dates, which is the perfect flow into the final paragraph that emphasizes that the end of this has been defined in no uncertain terms and unlike the other articles vehemently defines that date at the close of the article. The article has an undertone of disapproval at the emphasis of legal phrasing and rules pertaining to a system that is suspect, rather than the importants of accuracy when acting in such an endeavor as selecting a leader. Clearly, I was surprised to find that these articles were very similar in almost every aspect. The most predominate difference for all intensive purposes were attention to details (knowing the relevant aspect of the information) followed by skill (putting the knowledge in the best possible light). All of these articles did a great job of educating the reader, and seem as though they could even be interchangeable. As of this last week, these three newspapers have become my favorite sources of world news, they are all in English, which in itself would seem to indicate a common interest that could have led to the similarities. Unfortunately, I don't read any foreign language; I would have liked to examine the views of some obscure country (one without a foreign correspondent in the U.S. if there is such a thing) against the examples I used. If I had used a country that is not fond of or dependent on America, I wonder if I would have seen any fact bending. The fact of the matter is that we are so scandalous that fact bending in the foreign media is most likely not required, which is why I wish I could read just one language other than English because it is probably one of the better ways to find out what our tax money is doing overseas. In my opinion the most important issue regarding media practitioners is the "motivation" behind choice of content and of course how affects integration of the information into "clues" for the public. In understanding the global system it is extremely helpful to take a look at which region carries what stories, this information speaks volumes as to a regions affiliations, interests, alignment (global), and more importantly motivation of those who control interests. I have often wondered why there are constantly conflicts in the world that in most cases does not become news for quite a long time. Yet, (in America at least) when Israel is involved it is given priority coverage. Is this preferential coverage given only in America, or is this the case worldwide? If it is specific to the U.S., then why do we give this region special media attention? If the world affords Israel this preferential treatment as well, is it because of Biblical references and prophesy? I will also examine Israel's media and its role in the current conflict that has resurfaced in "The Holy Land." I feel the need to give a brief history of Israel's people and some of the intricacies that currently affect the situation in Israel. The earliest recorded reference to Jerusalem in its current form is made in the Bible (found in the book of Joshua); it is also found in ancient Egyptian execration texts, (books that were used to keep a record of enemies that the Egyptians had cursed) in which pronunciation is different and is said to mean "the city founded by the god Salem" (Brooke 10). The people that inhabit the land that is shared by Israeli and Palestinians have been fighting since the beginning of their recorded history; they both share periods of worship intermingled with violence, they have desecrated one and others people and ground considered (ironically) sacred by both parties. Jerusalem has changed hands an enormous number of times; from the time of Judah it has been briefly controlled by Persia, Romans, Byzantine rule, Ottoman rule, Crusaders, Turkey, the French, the English as well as the Jewish and Islamic people just to name a few. Both of these peoples have been forced from their homes at one time or another; while they have had their lives and places of worship repeatedly demolished, both of these people continue to return, to rebuild. Both Israeli and Palestinian people believe this land that they battle over is "holy" and brings them closer to god, they believe that this is where judgment will begin Israelis believe this will be the sight of the second coming of Christ (Brooke 10-23). It is said that at any given period in recent history there are no fewer than 60 "conflicts" raging at any given time; yet in our press we rarely see coverage of these events as they are deemed unimportant (by whom I often wonder). With regards to the instantaneous coverage the Israeli/Palestinian conflict receives in the U.S., I wanted to take a look around the media world to look at what was being said elsewhere. According to Reuters online "Israeli troops shot and killed two Palestinians . . . pressure to clear the way for a U.S. led probe into nine weeks of unrest" (Reuters). While the London times had nothing pertaining to Israel on this day, an article dated November 24 entitled "The end game" goes through an Armageddon scenario in detail; the article further cites that "Israeli analysts predict that the Middle East is one third of the way towards Armageddon" (London Times). A Polish daily the Warsaw Voice had nothing of Israel or the troubles there but while browsing the archives I discovered that the Israelis have a soft spot for Polish literature, especially poetry. I also looked into a Spanish publication (weekly) called Costa Blanca News and again found nothing of the current conflict, present or past, it seems the Spanish have a bit of a mad cow scare at the moment. While the U.S. is not the exclusive in its preferential coverage of the Middle East crisis, the world is not exactly enthralled with the situation or its implications. As I suspected, the media coverage is related to interest in the form of the amount of money invested or borrowed from the parties in question. Poland while it does import some oil from Israel is not dependent on it by any stretch of the imagination; in fact there are articles in the archives that discuss reducing the imported oil to 0%. The U.K. press is the only place I could find any Armageddon references and those predictions came from the Israelis themselves. In any event, I did not find any respected news sources talking about Biblical Prophesy, the predictions of Nostradomus, or judgment day. I do however, feel that more people than would admit are keeping a watchful eye on the situation; while they explain it (there interest) away as a concern for the possibility of a war that might involve their homeland (understandable), many people are making mental notes to compare with what they remember about Nostradomus and other prophets including those found in the Bible. All prophetic speculation aside, the global implications (of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict) are real and as we move toward a united (global) economy and governing body, any conflict becomes magnified, as there will no longer be wars involving one nation. Those who have shown initial interest in the situation have financial ties in the region; present media content in these respective nations will be an indicator of which nations are players. The Israelis are prolific when it comes to finance and have a great deal of interest in numerous strategic countries. The Palestinians have the support of their Islamic neighbors based on cultural kinship and a mutual dislike for the Jewish (Zionist) people, not to mention oil. As for the Israeli and Palestinian media, they have not acted unlike I would expect the (often biased) American media to react. They are quick to point out atrocities as a means to justify the next attack An organization called CAMERA (Committee for accuracy in Middle East reporting in America) has even gone so far as to attack NPR regarding its reports of Israeli troops firing on children with rocks, they are also upset over the portrayal of Israelis as "Goliath" in a "David and Goliath" scenario. I found it very interesting that the group (CAMERA) was based in Boston. Among other information I was able to dig up, I found a thesis in the CSU library; while I felt it that it was too old a source to use for this paper, there was some interesting information on Israel's reluctance to adhere to U.N. resolutions regarding land boundaries set forth by the U.N., as well as some speculation about Nixon and the Jewish vote in America. The bottom line is that the Israelis have a great deal of money throughout the world, and it would not surprise me to know that they have used it to their advantage. Even the U.S. as an ally is beginning to become uncomfortable with recent events in the Middle East; in particular Israel's stand on certain "boundary" issues; it has become evident that in the future as the tension grows and the situation escalates it will become increasingly difficult for the U.S. to stand behind Israel's actions in front of an overwhelmingly disapproving U.N. Media participation has been predictably selective and biased where content is concerned, the story follows the money and vice versa, news sources have also been consistent in this respect, given the variables and intent in bringing about a desired mindset in their perspective environments. Surprisingly this makes it easy to see the story behind the story. The media in newly democratic Poland could very well be in better shape that the rest because of the untested waters, but this very newness is the very potential for disaster. As the prognosis improves and the money floods into the country so then will the sharks, looking for a foothold (the media). Throughout the world the media is telling two stories if you're listening. Some are more urgent than others, such as the recent rumblings of Soviet reformation, or renewed violence in Israel, its all quantum physics, everything is interrelated. The communication age has facilitated the global market and government "one world" discussion, but to what end, this will definitely signify the end of the small conflict. Got Armageddon? Aumonte, Jerome. Gross, Peter. Hiebert, Ray. Eastern European Journalism: Before During and After Communism. Hampton Press, Inc. 1999. Brooke, Steven. "Views of Jerusalem." New York: Rizzoli International Publishing, Inc, 1998. Conolon, Michael. "Gores Dwindling Hopes Rest on Florida High Court." Reuters: n pag. Online. Internet. 05 December 2000. Available: WWW.reuters.com. Firestone, David. "Gore Loses Recount Case; Last Hope in Fla. High Court." New York Times 05 December 2000:A1+ Heritage, Timothy. "Israeli troops shot and killed two Palestinians." Reuters: n pag. Online. Internet. 02 December 2000. Available: WWW.reuters.com. Kiley, Sam. "The end Game." London Times 24 November 2000: A1+. Lerner, Daniel. Pevsner, Lucille. The Passing of Traditional Society. Free Press, Inc. 1958. Macintyre, Ben. "Judges Put Bush in Sight of White House." London Times 05 December 2000: A1+. Bibliography:

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