The Relationship Between Democracy And Journalism

Journalism and it’s vast history showcase a huge graph of growth in technology and trade.

By just the simple concept of selling information with different techniques for gathering and distributing information on a regular basis sums the word “journalism”. But, more to it does arise as we discuss how democracy and journalism play a huge role in today’s world.  

Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe (1865–1922), is said to be one of those people who shaped the modern press. He Introduced new developments such as subordinate regional markets, exploitation of advertising revenue to subsidize prices, aggressive marketing, independence from party control. A little history about him to explain would be that, he was a British newspaper and publishing magnate and owned two famous press companies such as daily mail and daily mirror. He was very influential to the people in Britain during the Edwardian Era. He has been a figure to remember for his profound journalistic skills in Britain. During the early times of the 20th century, Harmsworth was the main pioneer to grow popular journalism for the working class and emphasized sensational topics. Alfred Harmsworth, played a powerful role during the First World War when he criticized the government regarding the Shell Crisis of 1915 in the United Kingdom. It was said that at a time in the United Kingdom Alfred Harmsworth took over the British press as it has never been before or ever since by just one man. His newspaper, The Times reported the Shell Crisis of 1915 with a great ardour that it ended the Liberal government of Prime Minister H. H. Asquith. This also led Asquith to form a coalition government. Alfred Harmsworth’s newspapers promoted for creating a Minister of Munitions and helped to bring Lloyd George’s as prime minister during 1916. Lloyd George offered Alfred Harmsworth a job in his cabinet, but Alfred Harmsworth refused. 

The concept of journalism and politics has been the biggest debates of all times with two different parties agreeing to the fact if the ruling government runs the press and the other party arguing that journalists write what’s fair to them and make the right choices of putting out information for the public. While this conceptualization stands as a vast skeleton to understand the relation between mainstream journalists and politicians of the world, it falls short in explaining the way a few politicians such as, Donald Trump (USA), Thierry Baudet (Dutch), Beppe Grillo (Italy) address the Press. 

Thus, the relationship between journalists and politicians are like sailing boats to two directions but in the same sea and same destination. During the 2010s the environment of Western political-media, where the beginning of authoritarian populism, the breakdown of press audiences, and the decreasing boundaries around the journalistic profession have substantially changed press and politics relations. A few things politicians also do to journalists, while they just do their jobs tend to use are by attacking personally of their character, linking them with other unwanted areas which are seen as illegitimate, claim that journalists work in the public interest, questioning their ethical standards, and questioning the beneficial consequences of their work. Such comments or questions raised by politicians demoralise the work of a journalist, although it is not taken personally. A journalist showcases extreme proffeciany during and interview or during a session where they are addressing someone.