Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? – Who Will Guard the Guardians, is a Latin phrase traditionally attributed to the Roman poet, Juvenal, and arguably associated with the philosophy of Plato, who suggested that those entrusted to be guardians of the state can be relied upon to guard themselves. Though asked in a different context and a different time, the question is still fundamentally relevant. Today, it is an appropriate query for modern media as the perceived ‘gatekeepers’ of our democracy.
We might
first acknowledge that modern journalism is undergoing seismic changes. Nevertheless,
the constraints which these changes suggest do not alter the fundamental fact
that information is still the basis of a healthy democracy.
The
behaviour of media and their styles of reporting, mirror changes, not just in
technology, but in society, generally. An
emphasis on ‘infotainment’ is not just a daily preoccupation of editors, it is
a mantra: keep it short, simple and interesting or risk losing audience.
The younger
demographic, in particular, rely on social media and internet sites to get
news. But social media is rarely about
hard news. Browsers like Yahoo and
Google gather stories with a virtual insistence on brevity, which means little
time can be afforded big ideas or public policy issues. Be that as it may, I
submit, a society that values its rights and responsibilities is unable to
afford such laxity.
What about
local media? One is forced to ask, should news always be limited to pedestrian
issues - all the time? News shows, that, for example, fill their time slot with
a daily parade of misadventures, criminals and even innocents flowing through
the court system, are frequently more about titillation than warnings of
societal breakdown. The courts have
their place in the news; but, I suggest, society would not endure irreparable
harm if we were spared some of Johnny’s missteps with the law; especially if a
major public policy issue screams to be explained. 