Values of Communication

These are principles about what media ought, or ought not to do.

2. IDENTIFYING VALUES OF
COMMUNICATION
Media Performance: Principles & Accountability

3. WHAT IS COMMUNICATION?
oIt is a process of transmitting, receiving and exchanging
information and ideas.
oThe basic purpose of communication is to inform,
educate, and to entertain people.
oCommunication can be both oral and written.
oIt can be verbal (through words) and non-verbal (through
signs, symbols, expressions).

4. HUMAN VS. NON-HUMAN
COMMUNICATION
oHumans combine words
in unique ways to express
feelings.
oHumans can put different
meanings together.
oHumans have ability to
remember past, explain
present and predict
future.
oAnimals use sounds to
communicate, to find food,
and to signal danger.
oAnimals use closed
systems; always same
sound is used to convey
meanings.
oAnimals can only express
present.
Human Communication Non-human Communication

5. WHY WE USE COMMUNICATION?
oCommunication is the social interaction of giving and
receiving information.
oTo create interpersonal relationships and to maintain
social bonds.
oTo persuade and influence people by sharing your
opinions and thoughts.
oTo develop your thoughts and to learn more knowledge
by exchanging ideas and information.

6. COMMUNICATION PROCESS

7. IDENTIFYING VALUES OF
COMMUNICATION: BACKGROUND
oThere are values which provide a framework for
understanding, measuring and analyzing the performance
of media.
oThese values were identified by “Denis McQuail” in his
book of “Mass Communication Theory” in 1983.
oThere were Four Abandoned theories; Press (Authoritarian
Theory, Libertarian Theory, Social Responsibility Theory
and Soviet-Communist Theory), but Denis McQuail added
two more theories “Development Media Theory” and
“Democratic-Participant Theory” to study state-press
relations.

8. WHAT ARE THESE PRINCIPLES?
PURPOSE TO IDENTIFY VALUES?
oThere are principles about what media ought, or ought not,
to do.
oThere are laws, regulations, ordinances, court decisions,
reports of commission about what society expects from
media.
oMedia itself has produced numerous codes of journalistic
practices like Society of Professional Journalist Code of
Ethics etc.
oThe main purpose to identify these values is to compare the
level of quality of media work with the principles of ethics.

9. WHAT ARE THESE BASIC VALUES?
oMedia Freedom.
oMedia Equality.
oMedia Diversity.
oTruth & Information Quality.
oSocial Order & Social Solidarity.
oCultural Order.
oMedia Accountability.

10. MEDIA FREEDOM

11. MEDIA FREEDOM
oWhat is Freedom?
The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants
without hindrance or restraint.
Liberty from coercion or constraint in choice or action.
It is the state of being free from external control and
interference.
It refers to a situation in which a person has power to
determine actions without restraint.

12. MEDIA FREEDOM (CONT.)
Types of Freedom
1: Absolute Freedom:
It means unlimited freedom.
It refers to “Really free to do”:
-Whatever you want.
-Whenever you want.
-With whoever you want.

13. MEDIA FREEDOM (CONT.)
2: Responsible Freedom:
Absolute freedom does not really exist anymore and
hence, people are bound with different responsibilities
in different situations.
Freedom without responsibility is not a freedom at all,
but the act of enslavement of others.
We cannot claim boundless freedom of choice, we have
to and we should also respect rights of others.

14. MEDIA FREEDOM (CONT.)
oWhat is Media Freedom?
The right to circulate opinions through media without
censorship by the government.
This can be discussed in two different dimensions.
1.Freedom of Expression of Media.
2.Easy access of Public to Information.
Note: There may be imbalance between what one wants to
say and what others want to hear. So we must not mix
freedom of one’s expression with freedom of another to
choose.

15. MEDIA FREEDOM (CONT.)
oFreedom of Expression of Media:
Absence of censorship, licensing or other controls by
government.
Real independence from excessive control and
interference by owners and other pressure groups and
interests.
Media having unhindered right to publish and
disseminate information.

16. MEDIA FREEDOM (CONT.)
oEasy Access to Information:
Audience has equal rights and there is possibility for
citizens to have easy access to diverse information.
At the same time, audience have easy access to
channels of expression to present their opinions and
thoughts.
Audience should have granted rights to judge and
evaluate the authenticity and accuracy of the
broadcasted news and transmissions.

17. BENEFITS OF MEDIA FREEDOM
It leads to systematic and public scrutiny of those in
power and it will also allow an adequate supply of
reliable information (watchdog and critical role of
press).
It stimulates an active democracy and social life.
It allows opportunities for both media and public to
express ideas, beliefs, and views about world.
It increases the amount and variety of available
information.

18. LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE
EXPECTED
oMedia channels and sources are expected to use their
freedom positively to adapt critical editorial policy and to
provide reliable information.
o“They should carry out an investigative and watchdog role
on behalf of public” (Waisbord, 2000)
oFree media should lead originality, creativity and great
diversity.
Note: The more the qualities mentioned above are missing,
chances are higher that media freedom is not being used
effectively.

19. CRITERIA OF MEDIA FREEDOM

20. MEDIA EQUALITY
oWhat is Equality?
State of being equal especially in status, rights and
opportunities.
Prevalence of justice
Absence of discrimination.
The state or quality of being equal; correspondence in
quantity, degree, value, rank, or ability.

21. MEDIA EQUALITY (CONT.)
What is Media equality?
No special favor to power holders and access to media
should be given on fair basis.
It means that discrimination is absent and there is no
bias in the amount and kind of opportunities available
to audience.
Objectivity means adopting a position of detachment
and neutrality by refraining subjectivity and personal
involvement on the basis of relevance and accuracy
(Habermas, 1979).

22. LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE
EXPECTED
Equality suggests that even normal principles of free
market should operate freely and fairly.
Media equality depends on level of social and economic
development of a society and the capacity of its media
system.
In business terms, all legitimate advertisers be treated on
the basis of same rates and conditions.
Media equality ensures fair and equal access to diverse
information and choices.

24. CRITERIA FOR MEDIA EQUALITY

25. MEDIA ORDER
oWhat is Order?
It is the arrangement of people or things in relation to
each other according to a particular sequence, pattern,
or method.
It can be studied in two different dimensions:
1.Social Order/Solidarity.
2.Cultural Order.

26. SOCIAL ORDER & SOLIDARITY
oIt is related to integration and harmony.
oFunctionalist approach attributes a function to mass
media of securing integration of social order by
promoting co-operation and consensus of social values
(Wright, 1960).
oBut Critical theory states that mass media are agents
of dominant and powerful class who want to impose
their control over rest of the world by influencing
people.

27. LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE
EXPECTED
oAt National and International level, media should provide
channels of intercommunication as well as support for
public.
oMedia should promote social integration in the society.
oMedia should not promote anything to create social
acceptance for crime and social disorder.
oMedia should show some concern about morals, decency,
and taste by reducing the amount of controversial content
in media products.

28. CULTURAL ORDER

29. CULTURAL ORDER
oIt is concerned with cultural “quality” of media content and
“authenticity” of information.
oIt is the duty of media to protect “official” culture of the
society especially in education, science, art and literature.
oIt must support cultural expression at regional, local and
minority level.
oIt must promote equal rights of all cultural expression and
taste.

30. LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE
EXPECTED
oMedia should promote local cultures and traditions at
National and Regional Level.
oMedia should set its priority to educate people and to
create awareness about social, economical and political
issues.
oMedia should encourage cultural creativity and
originality.
oMedia should be diverse, either promoting high culture
or popular/low culture.

31. CRITERIA FOR MEDIA ORDER

32. SUMMARY: MEDIA FREEDOM,
EQUALITY, ORDER