“Shut up, press!” said the dictatorship…
Recently
we had a class about the relationship between media and politics and this made
me think about the situations of countries that lived under authoritarian
regimes. I am Brazilian, but you who is reading this blog is probably a north
American, so you didn’t live a dictatorship. However this sad reality is pretty
close to me. What changes do this authoritarian context causes? What are the
ghosts of these years that still scare Brazilian population? How does it help us to handle with
present day situations and polemics?
First
of all, a little bit of history: Brazil lived under a military dictatorship
from 1964 until 1985, the year that our democracy really started. Yes, we have
just 27 years of democracy! Definitely we made a lot of advances, especially in
terms of electoral process, in which we are pointed as one of the most
developed of the world (voting is
mandatory from 18 until 65 years old and it happens through electronic ballot
box).
Nevertheless
during dictatorship times the press was oppressed and all the contemporary
theories suffered some alterations, once that the intervenient element of
governmental censorship was introduced. Diffusion of information and Uses of
gratification theory had the Government selection of information between the
media and the public to make sure that no opposition message will reach the
mass public and every favorable information will reach them. Agenda setting and
Political Watch Dog is completely diminished annulated, once that the control
of media release of informations are at State hands. By the other side, the
politicians have a strong control over media and the information that it
releases, what reinforces the aspect of control of flow information, introduced
at the last Thursday class. This is fundamental to maintain the mass public
under control and to keep the opposite forces in silence. This is the changes made
media become just an instrument in countries under dictatorship, but who thinks
that this is a reality locked at our past history is making a huge mistake.
Until
nowadays we live with some ghosts overhead of 140 missing people. Moreover, Brazilian
State until now keeps some file in secret status, I mean doesn’t open for
public knowledge, files that could charge those responsible for torture and
murder practice or, at least, bring some peace to the families that don’t know
what happened to their relatives. On this struggle the National Comission of
Truth (CNV – Comissão Nacional da Verdade) was
created on 2011 and has the mission of making clear all the violations of human
rights that happened between 1946 to 1988, including the murders, tortures and disappearance of people.
Back
to media theme: who thinks that this discussion doesn’t apply for nowadays is
making a huge mistake. What about the countries that today live under a
non-democratic regime? Isn’t against this type of
regime that US fight at Middle East? Why do people of these countries supports
so hard a regime that doesn’t aims people’s wishes anymore? Understanding the
media reality in dictatorships from the past can help us to understand the
present day conflicts, especially in theocracies and authoritarian States.
In Iran the media is controlled by a
Special Court, the Islamic Revolutionary Court, created in 1979 and the news,
TV or pressed in regulated for this Court, which works with the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), already
in activity since 1934. Syria media also suffer censorship, like showed here.
In Sudan the means to control the press are getting better, like showed on this
article what isn’t a good thing. In face of this reality how can media deliver the
information? How do people get the information, make its own judgment? How can
they fight if they don’t know what is going on?
Dictatorships are one the worst things to damage a people and a country, once that the first thing that they do is to eliminate the channels of communication between them. Sudan, Syria, Iran, Lybia and others suffers with this censorship. Had you ever stop to think about this “breaking silence” fight? How hard can be to say “No, I won’t shut up, dictatorship!”?
posted by Unknown | 11:47 PM
5 Comments:
This is such an interesting post, and I love that you incorporated your own point of view as a Brazilian.
This topic also reminded me of the power of social media within countries where media is controlled. Most recently with the Arab Spring, we saw social media become a channel for political voices to be heard, unedited by their countries. While their countries were telling edited stories of the uprisings, activists took to Twitter and other social media sites to tell the world what was truly happening.
Also, with the recent attack on the US Embassy in Libya, we saw a great tragedy sparked by a video shared through social media. It also caused great strife because our free speech as Americans had triggered an attack, and some called for legal action against whoever posted the video.
In my post, I talked about social media and its influence in the election, but this post makes me consider how social media can effect global politics and international relations, as well.
I cannot imagine what it must feel like to be under the rule of a dictator. Living in Mexico for 5 years, however, I have been pretty darn close. First of all, congratulations to Brazil for celebrating 27 years of freedom and being one of the most developed countries in the world. And second of all I would like to point out that I think your blog served justice when you said "Dictatorships are one of worst things to damage a people and a country." In politics today, we hear many president say how they want to change the nation for good yet turn their backs on their people. I think countries such as China, North Korea, Sudan and some third world nations are suffering from corrupted presidents. I'm glad to see people are fighting and saying, "No, I won't shut up." It's amazing to see what people will do for their country and for the love of freedom.
I feel too often that all of the drama and frustrations of a Presidential Campaign and Election, Americans tend to forget just how lucky we are to even have the ability to vote and participate in elections, especially in the presidential election. This blog post made me think of the documentary Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, which I saw last Thursday when the art department played it for us. Ai Weiwei is China's most famous contemporary artist and also the biggest critic of the Chinese Communist Government. Although this may have nothing to do with the election, I thought it was extremely moving and eye-opening to watch just how oppressive and unfair their government really is. Against a backdrop of strict censorship (the "Great fireWall of China") and unresponsive legal system, Ai expresses himself and organizes people through art and social media. In response, Chinese authorities have shut down his blog, beat him up, bulldozed his newly built studio, and held him in secret detention. This documentary is the inside story of a dissident for the digital age who inspires global audiences and blurs the boundaries between art and politics. I would strongly encourage all of you to watch his documentary, whether you are an art student or not, because it made me realize just how lucky I am to live where I do. The movement of Ai Weiwei and his work also inspired me because he has become one of the most influential public figures to stand against the communist regime of China. For more information, check out this New York Times article on the film or watch the trailer on youtube.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/22/movies/inside-the-documentary-ai-weiwei-never-sorry.html?pagewanted=all
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma6Q03ljdrg
Wow. I'm glad you shared your experiences with Brazil and its government's history. Makes me really appreciate the freedom of speech and separation of government and media. Granted, we learned in class that politicians can manipulate the media to get their agenda across, but that's not nearly as bad as having a dictator legally restrict information.
I'm so happy that you commented on dictatorship. I realize how lucky we are to live in the land of the free and I can't fathom the thought of being raised in a country like China or North Korea where people are not heard. I would love to see people in those countries of dictatorship to fight back because their leaders are not really looking out for them. We really are privileged here in the states.
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