Understanding the Concept of Public Sphere

The Role of the Public Sphere
The “public sphere” came from the German word, Öffentlichkeit, translated as “the public”, or the aggregates of speakers and listeners and “the publicness”, or the “state of being publicly visible and subject to scrutiny by the public” (Wessler & Freudenthaler, 2011). The concept of the public sphere has been applied to political and cultural communication that can be both a descriptive and normative connotation (para 1). According Habermas,the most prominent theorist of the public sphere, it is a “virtual or imaginary community which does not necessarily exist in any identifiable space”. But, in its ideal form, it is "made up of private people gathered together as a public and articulating the needs of society

Furthermore, he asserts that public debate can be roused by “opinion-forming associations” such as social organizations, churches, groups of grassroots movements, and even groups of concerned citizens to counter the message of the authority (Further reflections on the public sphere, 1992). However, for a public sphere to generate sound opinions, the participants should be able to think critically and are skilled in articulating their stand of the issue on hand. Going back to Duterte’s drug war, who takes part in the public sphere? And, what have they done to challenge Duterte’s dogma on his war against illegal

Media outlets, in particular, through its relentless reporting on the drug war, played the roles as “the vehicles for competitive spectacles and the source of news” (Rutherford, 2000, p. 274). To elucidate, the mandate of these media outlets is to provide the public with updates on the issues of greater concerns and in the process, help them make sound decisions that would benefit most of the society. However, their reports may have been contaminated by their desire for publicity, embedded in their pursuit of profit and/or audience domination. Nevertheless, media is still the most influential actor in influencing public opinion. In fact, their pervasiveness became the nagging voice that constantly reminded the government of their responsibilities to the