Habermas and The Public Sphere

Habermas came up with the theory of the ‘public sphere’ as we learnt to read and write we could communicate with people across the country and eventually around the world. This increased when media and the internet merged.

Before this we could not communicate with people from the other side of the world and we were told what to do by the government. After this we could talk to others about these issues and can form alliances to protest against it.

Before we communicated horizontally (people of the same class) whereas now we communicate vertically too (people talk to people that are controlling them and that they are in control of).

Habermas believes that democracy depends on a public which is informed, aware and which debates the issues of the day. This is why lots of us watch the news so we have our own opinions and can say why to others. It is also because we do not want to look stupid.

Habermas believes that the mass media and globalisation has reduced the effectiveness of the public sphere. He believes that the mass media has resulted in a reduction in plurality – there are fewer voices discussing the news.

“a public space between the private domain and the state in which public opinion was formed and ‘popular’ supervision of government was established”

“the public sphere and the role of the media in relation to it has to be “reconceptualized and reincarnated in a new form.””

Mass Media in the Public Interest – Denis McQuail

• “a fundamental presumption, that the media do serve the ‘public interest’ or ‘general welfare'”
• “that the media are obliged to conform to popular will or carry out some particular mission”
• “is in the public interest if it serves the ends of the whole society rather than those of some sectors of the society”
• You can have “public control” or “deregulation and the further extension of the free market”
• “the mass media are not the same as any other business or service industry, but carry out some essential tasks for the wider benefit of society, especially in cultural and political life.

Mass Media in the Public Interest (Denis McQuail)

Mass Media and Democracy in the Public Service – James Curran

• Curran suggests that in TV programs that have higher demand get peak-time space. Public services organisations run these channels as well as these highly demanded shows they will include the news as this is in the interest of society. They will also be cheap so they can be accessed by everyone.

https://hautlieucreative.co.uk/media2020/wp-content/uploads/sites/34/2018/11/Mass-Media-and-Democracy-James-Curran-Public-Service.pdf

In the extract: Mass Media and Democracy by James Curran there is a focus on Jurgen Habermas and his concept of the ‘Public Sphere‘,basically arguing that the developments in education and the mass media allowed for a greater access to information particularly with regard to government, authority and the exercise of control. Similarly, Denis McQuail argues for a media that specifically works in the public interest and not in a purely commercial interest.

Regulation: State or Free Market

We want a free media that works in the public’s interest. However, it has to be controlled so it doesn’t get out of hand. If the state (government) makes rules (laws) so the media doesn’t take stuff too far (racism, homophobic, sexist and invasion of privacy). But if the government makes these rules they then control the media, which is something we do not want.

James Curran said “Once the media becomes subject to public regulation, it will lose its bite as a watchdog and may even be transformed into a snarling Rottweiler in the service of the state.”

The Liberal Theory of Press Freedom – James Curran

• Freedom to Publish
• Diversity and Chain Ownership
• Loss of Independence
• Competition, Choice and New Technology
• Reappraisal
• Social Market Flirtation
• Restriction on Joint Media Ownership
• Self-Regulation
• Uneasy Ambivalence
• Weak Reformism

• ‘the United Kingdom regards press freedom as an absolute freedom.’ The government leaves it to the market forces to decide which press products survive’ (1992: 53).
• In the case of the press, with certain limited exceptions, no legal restriction is placed on the right to buy or launch a newspaper. (This ensures, in liberal theory, that the press is free, diverse and representative (Curran and Seaton 2003: 346-7).
• In this view of freedom of expression, it is the interests of the press, not of its readers nor of the subjects of its coverage, which are fundamental. (‘Free enterprise is a pre-requisite of a free press’)
• Based on the assumption that democracy is best served by the free exchange of ideas, for which freedom of expression is vital. (‘the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market’)

https://hautlieucreative.co.uk/media21al/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2019/12/Curran-Press-Freedom-2.pdf

The primary democratic role of the media is to act as a public watchdog

Once the media becomes subject to public regulation… transformed… in the service of the state

Three key concepts… the media as a public watchdog, public representative and source of information

reconceptualized and reincarnated in a new form (in reference to the media/news/public sphere

Only by anchoring the media to the free market is it possible to ensure the media’s complete independence from the government.

Currans Writting

The liberal theory of press freedom

Freedom to publish

Diversity and chain ownership

loss of independence

Competition, choice and new technology

Reasppraisal

Social market flirtation

Restriction on joint media ownership

self regulation

uneasy ambivalence

weak reformism

“a public space between the private domain and the state in which public opinion was formed and ‘popular’ supervision of government was established”

public sphere “a neutral zone where access to relevant information affecting the public good is widely available, where discussion is free of domination and where all those participating on public debates do so in an equal basis”.

“the media is to act as a public watchdog”.

regulation state or free market?

in relation to the media…

who regulates the press? (e.g. government or state)…

or is it a free market in which it is only run by the media/press… curran says “only by anchoring the media to the free market is it possible to ensure the medias complete independence from the government”.

curran says ” once the media becomes subject to public regulation, it will loose its bite as a watchdog”.

Quotations:

• “A public space between the private domain and the state in which public opinion was formed and ‘popular’ supervision of government was established“

• The primary democratic role of the media is to act as a public watchdog overseeing the state

• The public sphere and role of media in relation to it has to be “conceptualized and reincarnated into a new form”

• The media facilitates this process by providing an arena of public debate, and by reconstituting private citizens as a public body in the form of a public opinion.

• Habermas’ study can extrapolate a model of the public sphere as a neutral zone, where access to relevant information affecting the public good is widely available

• The watchdog role is said to override in importance of other functions of media and to dictate the form in which media should be organised.

• Anchoring mass media to the free market ensures that it is possible to ensure the media’s complete independence from the government.

Regulation, state or free market

public sphere

• habermas argues that the development of early modern capitalism brought into being an autonomous arena fof public debate
• the space between the private domain and the state
• public sphere came to be dominated by an expanded state and organized economical interest
• people collectively determine through the processes of rational argument
• the bigger companies get, the more they lose sight of people
• re conceptualized and reincarnate the public sphere in a new form

media watchdog

• primary democratic role of the media is to act as a public watch dog overseeing the state
• regulation, state or free market
• rules and regulations (government) control the media/press
• james curran says you have to the media free form the state
• ‘only by anchoring the media to the free market is possible to ensure the media complete independence from government
• ‘once the media becomes subject to public regulation, it will lost its bite as a watchdog and may even be transformed into a snarling rottweiler in the service of the state

“for rethink the democratic role of the media is provided by a seminal study by Habermas”

“discussions in coffee houses and salons etc created… a new public engaged in critical political discussion”

A public space between the private domain and the state in which public opinion was formed and “popular” supervision of the government was established”

“the primary democratic role of the media is to act as a public watchdog”

“once the media becomes a subject to public regulation it will lose its bite”

“reconceptualized and reincarnated in a new form”

‘the watchdog is said to override in importance all other functions of the media”

“regulation state or free market?” liberal or concervative

James Curran- mass media and democracy revisited

Writes about how Habermas argues that there is a arena of public debate, “emergence of independence encouraged a new public engaged political discussion.” public sphere

The media can be seen as a watchdog, a public representative and a source for public information.

One thought is that the main role media plays is to act as a watchdog to the public to oversee the state.

Usually to expose the misuse of authority.

can be used to debate about government freely

laws are put in place by government to regulate the media

should it be free to do what it wants? or should the media be regulated.

Unethical- If it becomes a free market and producers can make anything they want can cause tension.

watchdog keeps everyone in there place

Media shouldn’t be completely controlled by the government but also shouldn’t be a free market. A balance is needed to keep everyone happy

“once the media becomes subjects to public regulation, it will loose its bite as a watchdog and may even be transformed into a snarling rottweiler in the service of the state.”- A rottweiler= dangerous dog

The liberal theory of free press.

Freedom to publish- The theory that everyone should have the right to publish what they want.

Diversity and chain ownership- More publishers leads to more diversity as there is more to choose from. There are many types of different people with different social backgrounds, political beliefs and values who can publish there thoughts, rather than one company who produce the same content and thoughts.

State or free market?

the ideal level of regulation for media that would be most beneficial for the public sphere is somewhere between the state and the free market. Full State regulation reduces freedom of speech whereas a fully free market regulation would allow people to say anything they want which would create problems.

Habermus and the Public Sphere

Habermus argues that the development of early modern capitalism brought into being an autonomous arena of public debate. Habermus traces the evolution of the “bourgeois public sphere” which is a public space between the private domain and the state in which public opinion was formed and “popular” supervision of government was established. He argues, the public sphere came to be dominated by the expanded state and organized economic interests. Although Habermas was careful to argue that participation in the public sphere, in its classical phrase, was restricted to the propertied class, he has come under attack for idealizing, this period of history. He also has been criticized for his characterization of the media and the public sphere in the subsequent period

Media Watchdog

Classical liberal thought argues that the primary democratic role of the media is to act as a public watchdog overseeing the state. This is usually defined as revealing abuses in the exercise of state authority. The watchdog role is said to override in importance all other functions of the media, and to dictate the form in which the media should be organised

Quote

“Once the media becomes subject to public regulation, it will lose its bite as a watchdog and may even be transformed into a snarling Rottweiler in the service of the state”

Habermas argues the public state

“a public space between the private domain and the state in which public opinion was formed and ‘popular’ supervision of government was established” 

“This watchdog role is said to override in importance all other functions in media and to dictate the form in which the media should be organised”

“The primary democratic role of the media is to act as a public watchdog”

The media should work for the public interest. This should be regulated between the free market (people) or the state.