Page 137 - Comparing Political Communication Theories, Cases, and Challenge

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Global Political Communication

THEORIES OF THE ROLE OF MASS COMMUNICATIONS
What is the role of the mass media in strengthening voice and account-
ability in good governance and human development (Shah 1996; Asante
1997; McQuail 2001)? Liberal theorists from Milton through Locke and
Madison to John Stuart Mill have argued that a free and independent
press within each nation can play a vital role in the process of democ-
ratization by contributing toward the right of freedom of expression,
thought, and conscience, strengthening the responsiveness of govern-
ments to all citizens, and providing a pluralist platform of political ex-
pression for a multiplicity of groups (Sen 1999). Recent years have seen
growing recognition that this process is not just valuable in itself, but
that it is also vital to human development. This perspective is exem-
plified by Amartya Sen’s argument that political freedoms are linked
to improved economic development outcomes and good governance in
low-income countries, through their intrinsic value, their instrumental
role in enhancing the voice of poor people, and their impact on gen-
erating informed choices about economic needs (Sen 1999; Besley and
Burgess 2001, 629–40). The guarantee of freedom of expression and in-
formationisregardedasabasichumanrightintheUniversalDeclaration
of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations in 1948, the European
Convention on Human Rights, the American Convention on Human
Rights, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. In the
wordsof the president of the World Bank, James D. Wolfensen, “A free
press is not a luxury. A free press is at the absolute core of equitable
development, because if you cannot enfranchise poor people, if they do
not have a right to expression, if there is no searchlight on corruption
and inequitable practices, you cannot build the public consensus needed
to bring about change” (1999).
In modern societies, the availability of information is critical to the
quality of decision making by citizens and policy makers. In economic
markets, consumers need accurate and reliable information to compare
and evaluate products and services. In political markets, electors need
information to judge the record of government and to select among al-
ternative candidates and parties. If citizens are poorly informed, if they
lack practical knowledge, they may cast ballots that fail to reflect their
real interests (Lupia and McCubbins 1998). Moreover policy makers
need accurate information about citizens, to respond to public con-
cerns, to deliver effective services meeting real human needs, and also,
in democracies, to maximize popular electoral support to be returned to

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