Among the more important
imperatives of modern day journalism is exposing the people and agendas devoted
to undermining trust in what now operates under the moniker of the “mainstream
media.”
The difficulty with this
though is that systems to unearth untruth and malpractice in the media are, at
the same time, absolutely necessary in modern society to ensure that vested
political and commercial interests do not prevail at the expense of the public
interest.
This is why people are
so attracted to the so-called “fake news” phenomenon as worthy of consistent
vigilance and as a default when confronted with news and information that does
not ring right with the status quo or does not conform with their belief
systems.
It is also, at the same
time, understandable that people in all their social and political spaces and
environments should be concerned that lies and propaganda do not gratuitously
enter the sphere of mainstream public communication. Though all of this is not
new, what is different are the newer, infinitely more ubiquitous platforms, the
growing sophistication of propaganda campaigns, and a catchy oxymoronic tag.
I have used this space
before to help people identify the symptoms of this contrived malady and how we
can easily identify its purveyors. In many instances the
undermining of trust becomes a concerted focus of the most untrustworthy. The
signs are relatively easy to pick up and essentially comprise a lack of
accountability and transparency alongside clearly identifiable partisan
agendas. Think of the last time you saw someone pronounce “fake news” on
something and who is offering the assertion.
There is another,
equally evident, feature of this: the propagation of expression designed to
both defame and to promote hate. In social environments elsewhere, science and
measurement are being applied to determine the connection between political and
sectional survival and the employment of hate speech. No such compulsion here.
I spent two days in
Jamaica last week examining this discrete component of the disinformation
agenda. For it will help advance the cause of those concerned about the use of
lies and propaganda to understand how promoting hate against individuals and
groups feeds into the process of gaining sectional advantage.
It was generally agreed
that the entire media industry, in all its facets, focus on actions to ensure
that the promotion of hate – expressed as racism, sexism, xenophobia and
discrimination against identifiable, vulnerable groups – does not gain traction
within the body of mainstream media content, as indeed it sometimes does. It is
a sad admission to make as a journalist, I must tell you. But it is the
exception rather than the rule.
It is important, we who
attended the Public Media Alliance workshop in Kingston last week concluded,
that journalists and others operating in the sphere of public communication
know how to identify what constitutes hateful content.
This becomes easier if
there is, at first, a commitment to treat all groups and individuals with
dignity and respect. Now, examine those recent social media posts about the
demands of the LGBTQI community to be embraced by the universality of the human
rights from which we claim to benefit. Think about the ignorant stereotyping of
immigrants and why the disabled are yet to achieve social and economic equity.
There was also
acknowledgement of the special status of children. I was quick to add this
comes with astute disregard for how children look or behave. In the midst of
the violence and mayhem, it has become far too easy to forget that our children
require a special level of protection and are, in fact, protected by global
convention and national law.
There has also been a
tendency to assert cultural specificity on the question of human rights. Yes,
we sometimes hear, "there are human rights, BUT what about our small size?
What about cultural antecedents?" These are, of course, all entirely false
and mistaken assertions. It is amazing that I once had to fight this point with
a senior state official in the communication sector.
So, along with “false
news” declarations and the hate, comes a declared disregard for human rights.
These are all symptoms of a disease that has increasingly become endemic in the
body politic. We so frequently point to more developed jurisdictions so
afflicted but appear blissfully oblivious to its manifestations among us all.
First published in the T&T Guardian - August 15, 2018
