Western media calls the shots

French philosopher Francois Marie Arouet Voltaire was a pioneer in the campaign for freedom of speech during 15th century in Europe. Europe was then just coming out of absolute power of monarchies and the people were beginning to realize the value of liberalism in governing a country. Liberalism means more ideas, more creativity, more enthusiasm and finally more effort in to accomplishments.

People were no longer in the two classes of 'haves' and the 'havenots' and the middle class emerged in every European country staking claims for a major portion of administration. At such times the role of media becomes all the more important as the facilitator and a catalyst of all that change. Ideas change the society and ideas will not come out unless the press is free enough to accommodate.

That was freedom of expression in a positive vein. Humans, during the course of their civilization and development have spawned certain means such as money, science and media as facilitators of that process. All these means have a 'growing up' and a positive time. But once they reach their full potential, unless managed effectively, they could just get out of hand causing more harm than good. Western media has always been exercising its power showing what it is capable of, when it comes to creating trouble for some and saving from trouble some others. A harbinger of things to come if allowed to operate unhindered. Media is a powerful tool because it can influence opinions, build consensus and thus make mass motivations, either for good or for worse.

Onslaught of commercialism has pushed aside the principals and ethics the likes of Voltaire stood for. Commercialization brings money and money in turn brings power. Power is all what you need because the one who is powerful is always right. The West ones preached of a kingdom of God but today its motto is that 'the consumer is King'. Thus the present era is increasingly getting characterized as an era where the goodness of God has to jostle with the dictates of the consumer for space in the Kingdom.

Freedom of expression

Media is the most commercialized tool in this whole commercial operation. When all other industries sell their goods to the customers, media is the only industry that could sell even its customers. That is because people advertise in the media for the strength of their circulation and reach. The more subscribers you have the more advertising patronage you will get and thus you end up selling your customers to your advertisers.

The West has realized the power of media long before us or it would be more appropriate to say that the media has taken the better of the Western world even before we could grasp what media is capable of. Freedom of expression is number 1 in the Western agenda of human rights. We may argue that people need food and shelter before they need freedom of expression but the West would not flinch as they know that if they have the media under their command they can control the rest, even food and shelter, making freedom of expression so sacrosanct. People may die of starvation or for want of security and shelter but who would know that unless some media carries that news. Indulgence, exploitation even pillage and murder can take place anywhere but with the media silent, things may appear fair. Thus media can make molehills into mountains and mountains into molehills.

Media companies

Rich people have invested in media companies and those same investors may also have other parallel business ranging from insurance to arms manufacture. It is in the interest of an investor to supplement one business with another and therefore those media investors may wish to promote their other businesses, such as arms in the Third World. Promotion of arms need a conflict atmosphere and media could create such an atmosphere. You could have a nice name starting with 'Peace' for the campaign and could also seek advice from the likes of Jehan Perea.

In any case ordinary news from other countries is not news worthy to media and hence the media industry needs suspense, drama and some melodrama to prosper. Thus promoting terror in the Third World would be killing two birds with one stone in that you have news and also you sell arms. This explains why in the Sri Lankan war, verified reports of rescuing 300,000 people from the jaws of death is not news but unverified news about alleged shelling is. Drawing one against the other in the Third World is an investment for the Western news. The Western media may always castigate our politicians as 'corrupt' but they would never say that our journalists are that.

This is because private media in any country is the main avenue through which the Western media could manipulate the affairs of that country. Add a little democracy and a doze of party politics, there will be a perfect environment to make intrusions. Thus the Western media always become a forerunner for all the misery the West would wish to heap on the developing world because maintaining supremacy of the West is very much a part of Western media agenda.

However the shenanigans of the Western media do not stop with the events in the developing world. It has also taken a stranglehold of the developed world and even of the Western nations. When Barrack Obama came to power saying 'Yes we can' people across the globe harboured hopes of a better and peaceful world. Yet, now in to the 4th year Obama has continued 'Bush policies' to the letter. In a way, the one who gets elected to the White House could have a nice time there because the American media institutions will always run the country making the President only an occupant. Thus the so-called 'free world' is not really run by democratically elected leaders but rather by a few media barons who have made the right investment decisions.

palitha_senanayaka@yahoo.com