“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” – Nelson Mandela.
*
I was recently listening to a podcast by The Law Report, which made mention of the fact that the general public has such limited access to scholarly journal articles, yet such ease of access to mainstream mass media reports – which to me, is quite worrisome.
The mass media has become such a significant part of western civilisation’s mainstream culture, whereby technological advances have allowed media platforms to connect and inform the public on world affairs. Primarily due to these advancements in technology, the media has somewhat become the cornerstone of human society – through reflecting and structuring values, attitudes, and cultural actions. So undoubtedly, the media holds the ability and power to manipulate society’s perceptions towards particular issues.
This is extremely problematic for several reasons. The overarching reason being is that the mass media is ultimately a profit-driven business, which seeks to maximise its income. Because of this, the media often reports on ‘interesting’ stories, such as street crimes, that easily gains the attention of the general public – because let’s be real, how many people want to hear about equity and financial deceptions (I do). As a result, persistent and prevalent issues are reported as ‘business news’ and more often, ignored all together. And this is all primarily just so that media outlets can yield a high percentage of profit.
On the other hand, academic journal articles and debates are both insightful and wide encompassing in terms of their coverage of issues. They are built upon expertise and evidential understanding, and are not merely profit-driven companies that are trying to sell a story. Yet there are so many barriers for the general public to access these scholarly articles. Unless you’ve been to university you typically won’t even have the knowledge that these articles even exist. And those who are aware of their existence, generally don’t have free access to these articles; unless your company has purchased a subscription, or you’re a current university student. And to be frank, this one of my many major peeves. I know that myself and my peers at university have all gained such a nuanced and broadened perspective since attending university – not only from what we’ve been taught in the classrooms, but from the access we’ve had to read academic journal articles.
These scholarly articles have ultimately remoulded and formed the foundation of my stance on so, so many issues – from capitalism to the criminal justice system. Yet instead, the general public’s attitudes and ideologies are founded on the incessant misrepresentations that are illustrated in the mass media. Whilst not all media outlets are incorrect and ill-intentioned per se, scholarly journal articles are peer reviewed, critiqued by field experts, and contain a plethora of evidence-based material.
I could branch off and go on about several other drawbacks and detriments that stem from mainstream media outlets, but I shall leave it at this for now.
FEMI-LEGAL 