Media and Police Relations By
Dr. Hooman Peimani
Media Training Seminar
(30‐31 July 2009)
I-Role of the Media (Print/Non-Print): MultiDimensional
•
A- An Institution responsible for reflecting events affecting a society in one form or
another as individuals do not have the resources to obtain information affecting
their societies
•
B- Agent of dissemination of information on behalf of a society based on the
principles of objectivity and impartiality also known as professionalism and good
journalism
•
C- Society’s conscious: speaks when others do not or cannot speak
•
D-Part of a country’s check and balance system to hold those in power accountable
•
E- A gauge of democracy: positive correlation between democracy and the genuine
media
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F- A major stakeholder in freedom of information as its absence affects it directly
II- Barriers to the Operation of the Media as an
Objective and Independent Institution
A-Non-governmental Barriers
1-Social/cultural barriers, including a lack of
participatory and thus critical political culture and
a prevailing sentiment of acceptance/tolerance of
problems/mistakes, indifference to issues not
directly related to one’s life and patriarchal
approach to authorities
2- Self-created barriers caused by the prevailing
sentiment and also in reaction/over-reaction to
authorities’ punitive power
II- Barriers to the Operation of the Media as an
Objective and Independent Institution
• B-Governmental Barriers
1-“Legal” measures: Various restrictions imposed on the
media, e.g., direct/indirect censorship, intimidations
through regulations/ bureaucratic
means such as
suspending licenses, refusing license renewals, suspending
publications, filing laws suits against newspapers, editors
or journalists using laws such as anti-defamation and
secrecy laws
2- Use of force to harass, intimidate, persecute and/or
prosecute media workers on false charges by using security
sector (SS), including police
III-Context of the Media and Police Relations: Such Relations
Are Defined within the Context of the Existing Political System
in a Given Country
•
A-Democratic system:
1-The role of police is to act as the agent of the judiciary in charge of
implementing laws enjoying legitimacy within the clearly-defined framework
to ensure the rights of all the law-abiding citizens and institutions while
ensuring their fulfilling of their responsibilities as defined by the law. Police in
this case operates within a clear framework and there are checks and balances
in place to ensure its inability to abuse its power. It is therefore accountable and
does not enjoy impunity; there are overseeing bodies and the police is not
immune to investigation and prosecution. Yet, even in democratic countries,
police abuses could happen with impunity.
2- The role of the media: The media is not only free to reflect the realities of
its respective environment of course within the limits of objectivity,
professionalism, ethical principles and law, but also function as the society’s
ears, eyes and conscious to unofficially oversee the activities of all those in
power such as their SS, including the police. However, this could remain an
ideal, not achieved role regarding certain issues.
III-Context of the Media and Police Relations: Such
Relations Are Defined within the Context of the
Existing Political System in a Given Country
•
B-Undemocratic system:
1-The role of police is to function as the agent of the ruling political
system/elite to preserve their interests at any price. They therefore operate as
they wish with impunity and are basically non-accountable bodies for their
abuses operating within a self-serving framework, which may or may not be
institutionalized officially by the law. The police is the agent of persecution
mandated with the suppression of any opposition voice endangering the
stability/continuity of the political system.
2-The role of the media: The media is restricted in performing its duties to
force it have a distorted role as a major means of glorifying/justifying the status
quo without regard to the realities and to defend the ruling elite and all their
institutions, including SS and thus police, at any cost. Not only is the media not
free to discharge its duties, it has no power to expose the abusive behaviour of
those in power, including the police. The absence of free media is therefore
one of the prerequisites of the existence/survival of an undemocratic
political system.
IV- Media and Police Relations in the ASEAN Region
•
A- Characteristics of ASEAN: ASEAN as an uneven region consisting of
countries with a varying degree of tolerance for an independent media
•
B-Barriers to the media
1-Various types of restrictions on the media
a-Direct pressure on journalists/media
b-Indirect pressure (e.g., on printing
houses)
2-The absence of security for the media/journalists with its limiting
impact on good journalism
3- The absence of remedy for abused media entities and workers
V- Conclusion: Police-Media Relations in
Undemocratic Countries: Implications for the Media
•
A-Distorting the role of media: Police’s acting as the agent of persecution to suppress the media as an
independent entity to promote objectivity about issues of concern to all and/or to force it operate within a
framework acceptable to the political system results in distorting the media’s role.
•
B-This situation usually leads to self-censorship and restraints on the part of the media to avoid any
problem by denying the authorities/police any excuse for harassment.
•
C-In the absence of a meaningful system of checks and balances, the absence of a fully-functional
independent media helps as a major factor the existence and continuity of certain ills , including:
1-corruption
2-abuse of power
3-absence of rule of law
•
D- Negative result on societies with long-term implications:
1-economic, social and political under-development as a result of the combined impact of the latter
that undermine, retard or distort development
2-social and political instability, which, in turn, perpetuate underdevelopment with its destabilizing
effect to lead to a vicious circle