RAWALPINDI, May 25: Politicians are losing people’s trust as they do not share truth with them, and the lack of trust led to widespread political disengagement resulting in low turn outs in the elections.
These views were expressed by professor Ivor Gabor, research professor in media and politics, University of Luton, United Kingdom here on Thursday, during a lecture: ‘the paradox of political communications in mass media democracy’ arranged at Riphah International University.
He said democratic systems required that citizens need to be kept fully informed because a bunch of ill-informed people could not make democracy going very well.
But politicians make strategic decisions about political communications in the context of political calculations, which ‘ means that the context of the messages was normally tailored to secure political gains.
He said independent media—free of government and commercial pressures—that balanced the interests of politicians and the public vital for the successful functioning of democracies.
Media should keep the citizenry abreast with true picture of socio-politico-economic conditions in a democracy so that interests of both public and politicians are balanced.
Professor Gabor said that politicians view political communication as explicit or implicit electoral messages.
He said that governments tend to make communications, rather than delivery, their real priority, leading to electors being offered the positive ‘spin’ on past, present and future events.
He said that media in a democracy should relay the information required to enable citizens to make informed judgments, seek to represent and crystallise public opinions and give politicians a space to respond to public concerns and to set out their policies.
The obligation of media in a democracy was, professor Gabor, said to report politics day-to-day and during election campaigns, inform the public about the electoral process, seek to act as a check on the government and an inhibitor of the abuse of political power and provide a space for politicians to communicate with the public.
The professor said there is need for legal framework that guarantees journalists’ and media’s freedom to report politics and elections without interference. He said journalists and editors understand both the political situation and the democratic process.
He said that in a democracy politicians and officials should recognise the important role of the media in the democratic process, and also there is a need of an educated public that understands the notion of ‘informed consent’.
Prof Gabor said that it was vital to restore the confidence of public in the democracy and facilitate the rise of new parties and leaders who are seen as ‘trust-restorers’.
He said that the development of new forms of ‘citizens’ communications’ is necessary to counter-balance formal political communication. He also urged the journalists and academics to make political communication messages more transparent.
