The Role of Media in Democracy Misinformation by Babatunde Adekanmbi

May 25, 2021 Babatunde Adekanmbi African Politics, Just In, Nigeria, Social News 0

The media serves a general purpose regardless the modality been used, disemminating informations to an individual or a group of people. It also a veritable tool in getting people informed about situations in a geographical location, creating a relational interest between the government and its citizens . The dynamism in Media enhances accountability in leadership, drive socio economic development and serve as a drive for positive change in the society.
The Media is a medium of conversation for the common man to dialogue with people in leadership across all sectors of the economy, creating a feedback system for processes to be administered rightly. The Media promote an informed society, a society that is aware of the present and future occurrences, making history relevant in our contemporary time.
The relationship between Media and democracy can’t be overemphasized, the media enhances and support the objectives of a democratic system of Government. This form of government need the inputs of the media, making the essence of democracy relevant in the society. The Media acts as an interface between the government and the masses.
The dividends of democracy is being enhanced through the influence of media, because the media inform the masses of what they should benefit from the government
In a situation where there’s misinformation on what should be relayed particularly in a Democratic system, in which power and civic responsibility are maximized by all adult citi- zens, directly, or through their freely elected rep- resentatives, the media is threatened and compromised. It result to the Media being deterred from playing it Role.
Democracy rests upon the principles of majority rule and individual rights. The citizens have the opportunity of relating through media in other to get their representatives engage on what should be done for communal development. But in a situation in which the media is expected to enhance an informed society but have been compromised by people in authority leading to a state jeopardy on the part of the masses and professionals trained in this regard popularly Known as broadcast Journalists ,then it leads to so many factors that will continue to propel underdevelopment in the society because the capital and resources that should be realised from citizens will be deterred as a result of deprivation of informations on the part of media and these factors will unable the media not to play it role of enhancing an informed society
The Role of Media In a misinformed democracy is a democratic approach to media studies that advocates for the reform of mass media to strengthen public service broadcasting and develop participation in alternative media and citizen journalism in order to create a mass media system that informs and empowers all members of society and enhances a good feedback system between the government and the masses.

The media wasn’t built as a stooge for the government in power so there are expectations from the Media to continually educate and inform the masses.
The media is such a force and this force must be strengthen by constitutional laws that will guide the interest of the Media in carrying out its role. It is imperative for Organizations and individuals that operate platforms relatable to Media to understand that the interest of the masses should be prioritized. The act of of compromising informations that will deter the unity and peace of the country be discarded. It is also necessary we strike a balance, we’ve situations in which Misinformation can erect on the part of the masses, resulting to propaganda that will deface the image of the government.
It is the responsibility of the media to ensure that informations that will result to chaotic situations shouldn’t be aired. While the Media is trying to protect and acts as a veritable tool for airing the opinions of the masses, the interest of the government should not be overlooked, although we’ve some factions in the society acting as an anti-government because the administration of the government does not align to their interest that is detrimental to the sanity of the society.

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