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How has modern technology changed communication
Freedom of the media
John stuart mill on discussion
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The “marketplace of ideas” was first cultivated by John Stuart Mill and applies to a key part of the ideals that led to “Enlightenment” 17th C. and into the 18th C., during the Libertarian Theory. The “marketplace of ideas” concept is based on the belief that the “truth” would emerge from the competition of ideas, in a free and transparent public forum. The “marketplace of ideas” is a rationale for freedom of speech and expression, with the notion that freedom of speech should be allowed, for it will lead us to the truth. John Stuart Mill’s book “On Liberty” justified the freedom of the individual in opposition to Authoritarian total control. In Mill’s introduction of “On Liberty” he lists the top three basic liberties in order of importance placing the following as most important:: The freedom of thought and emotion. This includes the freedom to act on such thought, i.e. freedom of speech. Mill’s idea in corellation to ideas espoused by other prominent figures (Milton, Locke, Paine, and Jefferson) of this historical time period led to revolutions, which brought forth the Libertarian era. This new era was based on new philosophies in which man was deemed rational, and able to think for themselves. The press became an ally to the people in search of the truth, the press also became “watchdogs” by holding accountable governing systems.
The “marketplace of ideas” would become a significant part of journalism and is still present and in effect today. One might argue that the “marketplace of ideas” has run amuck. As technology continues to advance we are witness to the ever-changing adaption made to journalism and its techniques. No longer is the schooled journalist, or the wealthy publisher the only ones to report our d...
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...an Assange’s “Wikileaks”. John Stuart Mill was not alone in his belief that freedom of speech would lead to the truth. According to Wikipedia, John Milton suggested that restricting speech was not necessary because “in a free and open encounter” truth would prevail, and US President Thomas Jefferson argued that it is safe to tolerate “error of opinion… where reason is left free to combat it”. We too see Fredrick Siebert claim in “Four Theories of Press” the idea of free expression as being “self-correcting”. It is safe to say that we are at our most democratic position to date with regards to journalism and our access to information in the western world, yet the future of the press remains unknown. One can only hope that the “marketplace of ideas” continues to be useful to our growth and development, and doesn’t prove to be fatal to our press and its future.
“The loss of liberty in general would soon follow the suppression of the liberty of the press; for it is an essential branch of liberty, so perhaps it is the best preservative of the whole.”
The authoritarian theory of the press developed in 16th and 17th century England. England lived under a monarchy and the people were never to question the monarchy’s right to rule. Truth and wisdom were reserved for the few divinely appointed authorities. Under the authoritarian state, all people and privately owned operations were to serve the state and the truth as dictated by the wisdom of the monarchy. The authoritarian theory was also influenced by the Roman Catholic Church, which did not allow dissent or true independent thought from its parishioners. Mass media mirrored these societal rules. Privately owned industries were controlled by the state through a system of patents and licenses. The press was also controlled through a patent and license system, preventing it from having full freedom to question the monarchy’s right to rule, though minor dissent about independent issues was allowed. Ultimately, the press’ job was to support the state (the monarchy) without questioning the state’s right to rule, in the same manner that a citizen’s job was to support the state by working in the fields without questioning the state’s right to rule.
In relation to social obligations and advancement of society, Mill writes advocating the expression of one’s opinion as the main driving force. Mill states, “If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person than he, if he had the power, would be justified in sile...
In On Liberty, John Stuart Mill speaks on matters concerning the “struggle between authority and liberty” and determining how the government should be balanced with the will of the common people. To aid these balances, Mill lays out indisputable freedoms for everyone including freedoms of thought and speech. He stresses that these freedoms are justified as long as they abstain from harm onto other people, but words have been known to hurt or offend. Hateful and unpopular thoughts can be ignored by common people just as they can say and believe whatever they wish to, but in the creation of laws that do affect everyone, leaders cannot discriminate against hearing any sort of opinion because doing so would increase the possibility of tyranny against a minority of any kind Mill wants to prevent. Every single opinion, no matter how unpopular, deserves to be heard by people of power, for even a thought of the unpopular or the minority could provide a shred of truth when leaders make decisions to better a majority of lives.
Theses and Professional Projects from the College of Journalism and Mass Communications. Paper 2. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/journalismdiss/2
The author provides a rough timeline of the objective norm emerging in American journalism, and explains the inner origin of these co...
John Locke (1632-1704) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) are two important thinkers of liberty in modern political thought. They have revolutionized the idea of human freedom at their time and have influenced many political thinkers afterwards. Although their important book on human freedom, John Locke’s The Second Treatise of Government (1689) and John Mill’s On Liberty (1859), are separated 170 years, some scholars thinks that they are belonging to the same conceptual tradition, English Liberalism. In this essay, I will elaborate John Locke and John Stuart Mill view on human freedom and try to find the difference between their concept of human freedom despite their similar liberal tradition background.
By the late eighteenth century, the Enlightenment, or the Age of Reason as it was called had begun to rapidly spread across Europe. People began believing in the ideals of popular government, the centrality of economics to politics, secularism, and progress. This cultural movement was sparked by intellectuals and commonwealth thinkers such as the influential writer John Locke and the famous scientist Isaac Newton, both who emphasized the fact that man, by the use of reason, would be able to solve all of his problems-whether it be problems with the government, morals or the society. However, these ideals weren’t just limited to the European nations where they had first begun. On the other side of the world, off in the United States, American intellectuals began to reason with these ideas as well. As a result, the influence on the profound of modern economic and political thought had a huge impact on the United States, resulting in one of the most important documents in known in American history; the Constitution.
Journalist or Terrorist Julian Assange, an Australian editor, activist, journalist and publisher, launched the WikiLeaks website in the year 2006. From that moment, the site spiraled rapidly into the limelight all over the world. It then came to be known as the most powerful whistle-blowing and also the most scandalous “media” in the online world. WikiLeaks profans and violates the right of privacy, right of accountability and confidentiality among Information and data sharing also it has a negative impact on governments, private sectors or businesses and also individuals, there is also a big question of accountability. Right of privacy, right of accountability and confidentiality are some of the rights that you acquire being a citizen of the country and when these rights are violated it is an offence.
...tised by the press corp. When that becomes extreme and debates become scripted and rehearsed, ideas, free thought and expression are once again stifled. Thus, the press has a great power, but also a responsibility to use it correctly to inform the public without thought to partisanship, bias or with the idea of swaying the general will.
The Frist Amendment (1791) to the Constitution of the United States (“Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press…”) holds the importance of the freedom of speech and press as one of the most basic rights of US citizens and reporters in the process of upholding a democratic society. Freedom of expression; the ability of people to communicate their feelings and thoughts effectively, without fear of being silenced, is a titanic right the people of the United States possess and is not something that came to them so easily. Neither is the Freedom of the Press; to report on everything that is true, of importance to public knowledge and decision making and reflects on the actions of the government and in effect may hold it responsible in the eyes of the people it serves. Initially however, when British colonists were still in power over the now established region of the United States, censorship (people not being allowed to say what they wanted, particularly in criticism of the Crown or its empowered subjects) was upheld as a right of the crown, a belief necessary to maintaining a controlled empire.
Thomas Jefferson once said, “Where the press is free and every man is able to read, all is safe”. In his quote, Thomas Jefferson is referring to freedom of speech. Freedom of speech also referred to as freedom of expression (Roleff). The freedom of speech is an unalienable right given to every citizen of the United States of America. The Bill of Rights, which includes the first amendment, was drafted in 1789 and adopted in 1791. In 1925, the United States Supreme Court declared the freedom of speech as a civil liberty. In conclusion, state governments had to allow freedom of speech because the fourteenth amendment protected it. This paper will explain the origination of freedom of speech and arguments for free speech as well as restrictions,
In On Liberty by John Stuart Mills, he presents four arguments regarding freedom of expression. According to Mills, we should encourage free speech and discussion, even though it may oppose a belief you deem to be true. Essentially, when you open up to other opinions, Mills believes you will end up closer to the truth. Instead of just accepting something as true because you are told, Mills argues that accepting both sides will make you understand why your side is true or false. Mills is persuasive in all four of his claims because as history would show, accepting both sides of an argument is how society improves.
This essay will offer a critical analysis of the 2010 WikiLeaks Controversy. For this paper, I will attempt to demonstrate different ethical standpoints of the controversy through a media case study. I will investigate if it was ethical for the media to collaborate in this agreement in order to figure out what kind of person Julian Assange was. The question of whether the media was being moral in this situation depends on the question of whether he is a hacker or a journalist. The title of a hacker receives negative backlash because whereas the title of a journalist receives positive feedback because a hacker has a very negative connotation of a criminal or even a spy whereas a journalist is seen in a positive light, of releasing truth to the public. From this, one could ask if what WikiLeaks did would be considered ethical? Was it moral for the media to cooperate? This all depends on what he did and who he is, this will make a difference and determine if it was ethical.
Thirty years ago, if I told you that the primary means of communicating and disseminating information would be a series of interconnected computer networks you would of thought I was watching Star Trek or reading a science fiction novel. In 2010, the future of mass media is upon us today; the Internet. The Internet is and will only grow in the future as the primary means of delivering news, information and entertainment to the vast majority of Americans. Mass media as we know it today will take new shape and form in the next few years with the convergence and migration of three legacy mediums (Television, Radio, Newspaper) into one that is based on the Internet and will replace these mediums forever changing the face of journalism, media and politics. In this paper I will attempt to explain the transition of print media to one of the internet, how the shift to an internet based media environment will impact journalism and mass media, and how this migration will benefit society and forever change the dynamic of news and politics.