Why Media should focus on the public sphere and not chase profits.

Need for an alternative model of media power, and why Media should focus on the public sphere and not chase profits.

For a long time, Media’s primary role was to help the creation of a democratic public sphere. Over the years, with the consolidation of smaller media companies, access to technology, globalization, media companies focus has been gradually moving towards profit-making. More of the news and information transmitted is now done to favour the elite. In the following paragraphs, we take a closer look at this trend, and suggest ways that can help media companies focus more on the public sphere.

Read: Role of Media

So, there are several issues with the way media is functioning and focusing on and it looks as if they are diverting from their main task, and that is to create a democratic public sphere.

Media is keeping most of the people away from the media creation process thus lending credibility to their symbolic power. Because most media companies are chasing profits nowadays, its difficult to say if all those opinions and articles that are published are truly unbiased. And if the press is still influenced by the elite or its political system then Libertarian theory really does not have any effect. Media hegemony is another issue as the media seems to be encouraging certain values and ways of thought, and especially supportive of the capitalist system.

So, the question arises, why are the media companies chasing profits and trying to be like businesses, and in turn transmitting biased information, and are not really focusing on creating a democratic public sphere.

A public sphere is a discursive place, it’s a part of social life, where people can freely discuss and share their opinions to create a common judgment. This space is important as people here freely express their opinions on matters of general interest, and do not act on behalf of a business or private interests (Habermas, 1991). With media companies sharing information to suit the capitalists, and keeping the general public away from media creation process, media is transforming most of the society in a passive public that do not have much control and are unable to discuss more on important things; thankfully, the digital medium is changing this to some extent.

There are several reasons that suggest that media companies seem to be losing focus; they are now running a business and have totally diverted from the main objective of passing unbiased information to the public. So, here’s what can be done to make media companies focus more on creating a democratic public sphere.

Media companies will need to take a relook at their business model from a new perspective and stop seeing news as only a commodity that must be traded; they should also acknowledge the fact that the news business, because of its nature, cannot be very profitable.

It means that the traditional media industry will need to take a closer look at the nonprofit world for new solutions; the good thing about the digital age is that it has the potential to offer innovative solutions (Ford and Pundyk, 2017). However, publishers that are focused primarily on making profits may not be well-positioned to take the lead in innovating, most of these companies are always under too much short-term pressure chasing profits.

For the several smaller publications, it is possible to remain sustainable if they are managed properly and driven more by a commitment to public service, and less by profit motives (Victor Pickard, 2009). Another thing that can be done is to reconsider the taxes applied to this industry. In order to make the publications focus more on public service, changes to tax laws should be considered, so that it becomes easier for news organisations to become low or non-profit entities which are controlled by the communities they serve.

In general, more steps should be taken to protect the press from the vagaries of market fluctuations. It means publications will have to cover a wide range of topics. Besides carrying out local and investigative news, publications should also cover more of cultural and educational content. Also, there should be more debate around giving press a similar status as parks, libraries and schools, all of which are imperative to have a healthy democratic society. (Victor Pickard, 2009).

Over the years the media has been digressing from its real purpose, which is to create a more democratic public sphere. Not only does the media today yields a lot of power, it seems to be using the power to further the cause of only the elite and the capitalists; it’s also keeping most of the public away from the media creation process and has been resorting to media hegemony. However, the rise of the digital medium has given the people a chance to be a part of the media and presents an opportunity to set many things right. It’s high time that the media changes its business model and stop seeing itself as a profit center, and instead look towards the non-profit world and the public sphere for more directions.

References

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Sam Ford and Jeff Pundyk (2017) Saving Journalism: What Big Media Can Learn from Non-profits. [Online]. Available at https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/saving-journalism-what-big-media-can-learn-from-non-profitsnon-profits [Accessed 28 May 2020]

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Victor Pickard (2009) Take the profit motive out of news. [Online]. Available at https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/jul/23/newspapers-internet-adverstising [Accessed 30 May 2020]

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