By Michael Stevens
A new media bill is about to be legislated, allowing eligibility for large Korean conglomerates to own controlling shares in broadcasting systems.
But it is my belief that in order for representative government to function properly, a free and ethical press is absolutely essential to maintain the liberty of the people.
Both in Korea and the United States, the freedom of the press has helped aid in limiting the power that the government has had over its citizens.
Yet, historically, past presidents such as Abraham Lincoln restricted the power of the press by manipulating it through executive orders. It is highly unlikely that Lincoln could have maintained support for the civil war were it not for the imprisonment of tens of thousands of northern opponents of it. Yet, the newspapers at the time could say nothing.
Another example of the government hindering the rights of the press to express itself was during the Woodrow Wilson presidency. Throughout the First World War, he imposed what was known as the ``Sedition Act," which made it a crime for anyone, including journalists, to say or write anything ``disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language" that was directed against the government.
It may seem necessary at times for the government to control the press' ability to print everything it wants to, especially in times of war.
However, limiting the power of the press, when it comes to newspapers, is no longer as necessary as before, given that freedom of speech and the press has nearly lost its meaning with the appearance of other multimedia outlets ― first came the radio, later television networks and then cable television.
By granting and revoking licenses to broadcasting stations, the government could limit the voicing of opinions and viewpoints to the corporate allies, on which we now rely for the majority of our news. This power to control public opinion should not be given too lightly, and especially not to large conglomerates that have only their company's invested interests at heart.
Since the ability to control the airwaves and the physical networks, such as cable, has the same effect as controlling paper and ink did during the 18th and 19th centuries, without unrestricted access to broadcast, a free press is irrelevant since most people receive their news and information via radio and television.
We as a nation must be able to trust these media outlets for unbiased information and facts. And since trust is a very precious commodity, any entity that has it is going to be the target of those who desire financial or political influence. Thus, any amount of public trust must be guarded jealously.
The idea of corporate media itself may not be a bad thing, for it can foster healthy competition and provide a check against government. However, we cannot eliminate the concern that these Korean conglomerates will have unaccountable, increased economic and political influence.
One current concern we find for many is that media organizations now survive on advertising fees, which has in the past led some media outlets to be influenced by various corporate interests ― which affected what was and was not covered. Stories can end up being biased or omitted so as not to offend advertisers or shareholders.
Yet this problem could be compounded or intensified if the corporation is in fact the owner of the media outlet. It would be foolish to believe that multinational corporations will give unbiased information in such a way as to damage their corporate image or corporate standings.
In ``The Media Monopoly," a 1992 book by Ben Bagdikian, the media critic wrote, ``Today, the chief executive officers of the 23 corporations that control most of what Americans read and see can fit into an ordinary living room. They can, if they wish, use control of their newspapers, broadcast stations, magazines, books and movies to promote their own corporate values to the exclusion of others. When their corporate interest is at stake ― in taxes, regulation, and antitrust action ― they use that power in their selection of news and in the private lobbying power peculiar to those who control the media image, or non-image, of politicians."
Truly, is this the type of power we want to give large Korean conglomerates that have a long history of corruption and who continue to lack transparency in doing business?
The writer is a student of Biblical studies. He can be reached at eslcity@gmail.com.