In the wake of globalization, free trade and the tear down of tariff dominate the media headlines. However, this blog will focus on the role of the media in this era in relation to human rights. In helping to highlight human rights abuses, the media plays an important role, directly or indirectly, in bringing attention to the matters. This includes the fight against trans-national crime such as human trafficking and child labor. The seemingly unstoppable reach of the internet and global media certainly have strong impact on how human rights abuses have been reported. The internet, for instance, has provided an alternative medium for international and local NGOs to reach global audience. The global media has become unparalleled to any time in our history for its ability to each audience at a global level. Unconstrained by state boundary, the media has a critical role in spotlighting global conflicts and genocides all over the world.
Take China for example. Before the 2008 Summer Olympic, riots and anti-communist protests rocked the country, prompting the international community to urge for greater freedom of press and speech. Despite tightly controlled monitored by the communist party, reports of human right abuses continued to leak out of China, especially with the oppression in the Tibetan region. This was partly responsible by the global media and the power of the internet. But importantly, how has global media helped fight injustice in China? Well, the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao made permanent extensions of press freedom for foreign journalists. [1] This new policy will alter the dimension of Chinese media.
While unrestricted is ideal, globalized media poses several challenges. Its goals are to foster common values and encourage mutual tolerance for different cultures. There is no dispute of these noble goals. However, this becomes a problem when a culture begins to dominate the media. Apparently, this has been the argument put forth by many Middle Eastern cultures. Their claim is Western media foster values that are deemed unacceptable by Islam. Thus, a globalized media could potentially, if it has already not, cultivate hatred between cultures as a result of the differences in their values. Another challenge is the risk of being so narrow minded. The risk of having the media globalized is the homogeneity of news stories. We would be subjected to stories that the editors see fit. Contrary to what I have argued earlier about censorship, globalized media is a double-edged sword.
In conclusion, I argue that we do need a globalized media if it is committed to its goals of fostering common values and promote cultural tolerance. Understanding that it is a double-edged sword, we need to diversify our media outlets. Internet has done a great job in giving everyone a voice that would otherwise be limited or restricted by the media. We need to keep improving the accessibility of the internet to everyone around the world. Only then that we can truly experience the full potential of a media.
[1] University of Pittsburgh; School of Law
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2008/10/china-leader-signs-decree-entrenching.php
