Networked Politics:what happens to democracy when journalism

changes?

Prof Charlie Beckett

GWU Seminar March 2015

What does journalism do for politics?

• Information

[facts, records, statistics, events, policies]

• Deliberation

[debate, analysis, comment, opinion]

• Accountability

[investigation, audit, voice for citizen, campaigns]

Politicians/executive

News Media

Public

Networked election

Political reporting is now networked

Journalism, social media & data

Politicians/executive

Citizens

Media for democracy

• “…the information revolution makes possible for the first time in history something we have only dreamt about: A global society where people anywhere and everywhere can discover their shared values, communicate with each other and do not need to meet or live next door to each other to join together with people in other countries in a single moral universe to bring about change….”

Media against democracy

• “It used to be thought – and I include myself in this – that help was on the horizon. New forms of communication would provide new outlets to by-pass the increasingly shrill tenor of traditional media. In fact, the new forms can be even more pernicious, less balanced, more intent on the latest conspiracy theory multiplied by five”

More, faster media

Increased spin control

More cynical public

More aggressive

social media & journalism

Politics becomes

media orientated

The vicious cycle of mediatisation

Does it matter?

• Spin: Truthfulness and trust undermined?

• Politicization of civil servants?

• ‘Tail wags the dog’: policy follows a media agenda?

• Focus on immediate results, not long-term?

• Chilling of policy deliberation?

47%: Citizen + journalist = transparency

Democratisation?

The song

Potential of new media for democracy

• Gives citizen direct voice

• Gives citizen direct access to information

• Allows citizen to organise and campaign

• Allows the public to critique mainstream media

Dangers of new media democracy

• Trivialisation: distraction, short attention span

• Manipulation: propaganda, fake, inaccuracy

• Fragmentation: polarisation, conflict

#Ferguson tweets by party affiliation

Filter bubbles then?

Complex, hybrid, fluid news media

More democratic?

“Journalism will continue to become more plural in its forms, its functions, and its practitioners. It will become more difficult to distinguish it from advocacy political communications, public relations alternative and participatory civic information, personal commentary, poplar culture and so on”

Dahlgren 2009

The political role of networked journalism

• Job of the political journalist becomes to filter, curate and make relevant the right information for the right people

• To be public-centred, customer-focused, reliable, transparent and credible

• Continue to uphold the traditional functions of acting as an independent reporter, investigator and critic of government

The real problem for mainstream politics and mainstream journalism is the same:

How to achieve the authenticity that will get the public’s attention and foster sustained engagement?

Keep in touch:Prof Charlie Beckett

Twitter: @CharlieBeckettMy blog: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/polis/

Email: c.h.beckett@lse.ac.ukI am also on Facebook and Medium