Introduction This essay will comment on the role of the local media and the way it keeps the flow of information going between members of the public and the local government. Thus commenting on the role the local media has in sustaining a democracy on a local level. The essay will start with stating that journalists are a vital part of the democratic process as they inform the voting public of what is going on in the society around them. It will then comment on the role of the local newspapers and how they help support democratic values. It will also mention that even though there has been a decline in the reporting of political news this is not necessarily the case with local news media, as a large part of local news are derived from political issues. The essay will point out that the use of human-interest stories is a good way of making people indirectly aware of political issues and decisions. Reader�s letters is another channel that gets highlighted in this essay, as they are a direct link between the public and politicians. A democratic society is a society where the adult population elects a government that shares the principles of the people. (Hornby, 1978: 160) To elect a representative government the public need information, facts, background knowledge and context. Above else the media (�) provides channels of information and the means which that information can be interpreted and placed into context. If people are to govern themselves in a meaningful sense, they must be well informed. (Mervin, 1998: 6) A journalists role is to question, inform, provide a forum for new ideas, provide a voice for those who are normally not heard in public and to ensure that justice is served, and if not investigate into the issues. (Randall, 1996: 2) Journalists has a vital role in keeping the flow of information going between members of the public and members of the government, thus contributing to sustaining the democracy. The media is important because a mature democracy depends on having an educated electorate, informed and connected through parliament, and it is principally through the media that such an electorate can be formed. (McNair, 2000: 1) This also applies to journalists working for the local media. Local newspapers, radio and television are important structures when it comes to keeping the flow of information going through the community. Newspapers are the backbone of local and regional communication, and are one of the most important forums for news and discussions. (English, 1998: 55) �A newspaper�s role is to find out fresh information on matters of public interest and relay it as quickly and accurately as possible to readers in an honest and balanced way.� (Randall, 1996: 20) Local newspapers does this in the same way as a national or regional newspaper would do it, but the news agenda is somewhat different as the amount of information available is not as great as in a larger area. Local news typically ranges from the family dog that has won �Best in show� to complaints about the noise level of the main road. As with all news local news has to be new, unusual and of interest to the public (Randall, 1996: 20-21), but it needs to have a local edge for it to be interesting. �News of what is happening close to home comes first� (Hetherington, 1989: 8) National news is rarely included in a local newspaper, unless it has affected someone in the community personally. It would then have to include that subjective angle to be interesting enough for the local media. For the media to really be a part of the democratic process it needs to be dealing with political issues to help the public put the information learned into a context that will educate them about the politicians in power. Political news is very much a part of the news agenda in a local newspaper, as most political decisions have an impact on individuals in the community. Local governments are �a constant source of stories about decisions which affect the lives of the readers.� (Harris and Spark, 1993: 121) There has been a decline in the reporting of political news in the media, as a part of the �dumbing down� syndrome (McNair, 2000: 3-4), but this does not necessarily apply to the local media in the same extent as the national and regional media. This is because local politics almost always affect someone in the local community on some level, and many articles therefore derive from political discussions or resolutions. Local politics are largely about land, property or financial issues and these are all issues that almost always involve regular citizens on some level. When reporting these stories the newspapers have a range of approaches on how they can address the topics. The articles can be written in various styles such as factual articles, features or the more personal angle of the human-interest story. (Rudin, 2002: 52-57) In local newspapers this is often the choice when exploring and reporting political decisions, as the political issues in question more than often involve people, thus the favourable personal angle is available. Even small decisions like if the council decides to remove a fence somewhere in the village is sure to stir up some opinions somewhere. The landowners will probably have something to say about it, and more often then not these small things make good human-interest articles. Human-interest stories are looked upon as personal and generally always interesting as they deal with �the people behind the news�; real people and real lives. (Rudin, 2002: 57) This angle then generates interest amongst the public reading the articles, and gets them indirectly interested in the politics behind the story. This way people become aware of the political decisions taken and become more informed about the politicians they have the power to either vote in or out of the local government when election time comes. Human-interest stories give political decisions a face, and make the politics of the issues more understandable for the public. Local newspapers can by including politically related articles generate interest, not only from the public about what is going on in their local government, but also keep the politicians updated on what the public wants and thinks. The media is extremely valuable for both councillors and the public �as a means of keeping up-to-date with public events and assessing the policy makers. Without the flow of information, a democracy can not work� (Hetherington, 1989: 8) Journalism has an agenda setting capacity, and the news agenda does shape public and social opinions by signifying to both the public and the governments what is socially important. According to McNair (2000: 29-30) �good empirical evidence exists to show that the structure of the news agenda affects public opinion and voting behaviour in election outcomes.� One way the local newspapers encourage the flow of information between the voting public and the politicians are through the publication of readers� letters. The earliest form of public access to the political media, and one which is still a prominent feature in the pages of newspapers today was the unsolicited reader�s letter, submitted in response to a political statement or event, or to media coverage of that statement or event. (McNair, 2000: 108) The reader�s letter is an important way for the local government to access the views of the public. It is a way for individuals to get their voice herd and it provides a space for open debate. Anyone who wants to can contribute with their opinions, and this way hold political debates in the exposed view of the public eye. Reader�s letters have historically functioned as a means of communication between public opinion and politicians, and the letters are read by politicians and others as a guide to the readerships� opinions. (McNair, 2000: 109) This is an important link between the government and the public, which promotes the free exchange of ideas, discussions on topical issues and opinions about the current government, thus contributing to the democratic process. Conclusion This essay has commented on the role of the local media and the way it keeps the flow of information going between members of the public and the local government. Thus commenting on the role the local media has in sustaining a democracy on a local level. The essay has discussed that even though the general news values apply to local news the most important criterion is that it is local. As long as it is of local interest it has a news value for part of the readership, especially in a close nit society where most people either know each other personally or know of each other. Political decisions in local governments tend to affect peoples lives directly, and human-interest stories are therefore a good way of making people indirectly aware of political issues by reporting the effects of the resolutions. This helps educate the public about the politicians they have the power to either vote in or out of the local government, thus benefiting the democratic process. The use of reader�s letters also gives the readership an open space for them to comment on events and political issues as well as providing politicians with a direct link into the opinions of their voters. This space is also used by politicians that are not part of the deciding organs to get their opinions known amongst people. Overall the local media are an important part of keeping the democratic process alive, as they are the main source of local news and the main forum for public discussions about political issues, directly and indirectly, and other events that interest the readership. The public gets informed and are allowed to have their own say through articles and reader�s letters. This way the local media keeps the communications lines open between the public and the politicians, thus sustaining the democracy on a local level. |
| Local media and democracy |