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of media reflects the imperfections of society as much as their own failings. The
public, in its capacity as audience, also has its responsibility and we cannot be
sure that, even with more opportunities, the public would welcome ‘better’
media or embrace the more desirable forms of accountability which requires
some continuing effort on their part. It is also illusory to suppose that better
media would necessarily lead to a better society.
We also need to keep in mind that free media have the right to be ‘irresponsible’
and that some perceived ‘misuses’ of autonomy will be a necessary price for
potential benefits of invention, creativity, opposition, deviation and change.
More important is the question of whether the freedom to be irresponsible on the
one hand and the power to call media to account, on the other, are equitably
distributed. On the face of it, the present state of media in the world and current
tendencies suggest that the answer is ‘no’ on both counts. But that is a larger
question, which I have to leave for others to deal with.

Note

This article is the text of keynote to Symposium on Broadcasting Ethics organized by The British
Council and NHK, Tokyo, 18 March 1997.

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