Is our media contributing sufficiently to a healthy democratic debate in the public sphere?

Is our media contributing sufficiently to a healthy democratic debate in the public sphere?

Introduction

Media is playing a central role in emerging all democratic parties and public at one place for effective decisions on country progress. Media also play an important role in stimulating debate on important aspects, highlighting facts and reporting news and give details about diverse topics. Media is considered to be important for democracy. The principle democratic role of the media, according to traditional liberal theory, is to act as a check on the state (Curran 2005,: p. 122). In this new media age, when extendable knowledge and information requiring, with media diverse sources such as newspapers and television, are surrounded with new media technologies. Australians are working in that increasingly getting their news and sources of information via internet or on-demand. Audience required information with easy access and relatively at low cost and time.

Public Sphere is a figure of speech which is used to circulate information over mass media that is in large society. Media theory is widely revolving around political, economic and cultural theory, which is trying to understand world progress and how it is going towards progress. Major debates are portrayed within media which highlight where power resides with in society. If study is done on understanding society in respect to political economy it usually based on creation, compilation and allocation of wealth. Australian's media environment was initiated by successful family-owned newspapers which, followed with an introduction of new electronic media, radio and television, and later they went towards operation diversification to strengthen media.

Discussion

Media Role

Media roles in democratic country is to keep a cross check on the acts of state and is when it is considered media role as watchdog is about how well media superior body governing and supporting democracy. One of the other role media plays is just as an information provider. The media is charged with the task to ensure that citizens learn “to know about the world they inhabit” (Gripsrud in Schudson, 2003: p. 14)

In this new media age, when new traditional new sources, such as newspapers and television, are surrounded with new media technologies. Australians are working in that increasingly getting their news and sources of information via internet or on-demand. Audience required information with easy access. This change in audience behavior is because of shifting towards narrowcasting: focusing on targeting specific audiences rather going for mass audiences where as audience required information and like to participate or interact with its own media rather than just passively consume it. Old static audience is replaced by troops of highly mobile technologically. New technologies like mobile phones and internet usage is implementing gradually with this increasing information technology world.

Media must ensure three fundamental functions implementation in order to promote democracy: (1) safeguarding flow of information (2) provide a forum for public demand, and, (3) act as a public watchdog. These functions are tested through country levels and media ...