After these days a young
journalist approached me asking about the role of journalism in society, I
will take my time to answer and emphasize on the fact that since news media is
responsible for public opinion, it affects the social agenda. This is why the
role it should play in a free and open society should be focused on getting
committed with social purposes and the improvement of democracy through the
responsible news coverage.
News media has to pursue a
call of pushing the boundaries of traditional journalism and so to really
engage in the public deliberation field, instead of just covering the news that
some others produce. Thereby, in order to set a free and open society the main
role of media should be reaching readers and audience with useful information
for their lives so that they might integrate to the democratic system. That
will guarantee more active citizens in public affairs.
From this view, journalism
should focus citizens as they really are, asking them what they think instead
of presenting them as victims of the political domain or natural forces. In one
sentence, journalism must rescue citizens from the isolation they have been
victims along the history. At least that’s the reality I can identify in my
country Colombia and in Latin American Region.
Pluralism is mandatory to
guarantee liberty. Quiet crowds exist because opposing thoughts and ideas are
censored and this is definitely another challenge news media has to tackle
nowadays.
News media should be in the constant search of
comprehensive human development improving life in community, cultural identity,
fostering the deliberation of political issues as well as environmental matters
and stopping silence and indifference on a variety of topics including poverty
and political corruption, keeping an eye on the members of the legislative.
