First, the sages' understanding of the functions of the media.
China journalists' cognition of the social functions and responsibilities of the media began in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, which is probably due to two reasons: First, the intellectuals' feelings of worrying about the country and the people for thousands of years; The other is the real experience of the great social influence of newspapers and periodicals.
1909, Peng published "On the Benefits of Newspapers" in the Beijing Dialect Daily he founded. In the form of folk songs, this paper points out the educational functions of newspapers, such as "opening a new style", "benefiting people's wisdom" and "increasing learning", the public opinion functions such as "speaking widely", "expressing one's thoughts", "criticizing corrupt officials" and other communication functions, which are a summary of the reformist newspaper thoughts. 〔 1〕
Lianzhi Ying, an early outstanding journalist in China and the founder of Ta Kung Pao, pointed out seven characteristics of modern newspapers from another angle and also expounded their social functions:
1. Modern newspapers are different from "Hundred History". Hundreds of historical records are the stories of the previous generation, with a vast space and a language of Gu Zhuo, which can't be read completely by non-scholars. And "reporting the present and adapting to the ancient, rewarding elegance and vulgarity, seeing what you see shallowly and deeply, your eyes and ears are always fresh."
2. Modern newspapers are different from "copying the iron gate of the palace gate" and "Beijing newspaper official newspaper". Copying with the public door and the like are only used for official business, not as good as things, and "newspapers are compiled according to the ruling and opposition parties, and the beauty of the system is excellent. From the official to the vulgar, you can know the world without leaving home."
Modern newspapers are different from listening to other people's opinions. In the past, we often relied on suggestions and advice to communicate with the ruling and opposition parties, and the first column in the newspaper said that we should be well informed. Although it is necessary to brainstorm outside public office, we must let the people's sufferings pass to the court. "
4. The records of modern newspapers are different from those of a place. The record of a place is limited and inclusive. And "newspapers collect and record the East and the West, and remember the North Pole and the South Pole. There is no far-reaching future. If there is news, it will be rumored. "
5. Modern newspapers are different from "fantastic books" and "novels". Strange books, novels are absurd or absurd, articles or classics are difficult to read, and "newspapers are easy to understand and true, things must be simple and capable, and articles are of good quality."
6. Modern newspapers are different from ordinary media. General media records are limited in content and insufficient in inclusiveness. And "the size of the newspaper and the change of national laws and regulations are far from the similarities and differences of customs and people's feelings, the heavy responsibility of Sino-foreign negotiations, the advantages and disadvantages of commercial trade, and all the surprises and happy events with my husband, all of which are heard by newcomers."
7. Modern newspapers are different from traditional media. Traditional media do not make quotations or advertise, while newspapers publish business quotations, record ships' entry and exit, widely publicize line numbers and telex urgent messages. 〔2〕
Lianzhi Ying's thought has been clearly reflected in the news practice of Ta Kung Pao. While commenting on state affairs, the newspaper is supported by a large number of news reports. In Ta Kung Pao, he stressed: "This magazine follows the public rules of Taixi newspapers and knows everything. Make a compromise theory with the heart of Dagong; Offer alternatives, promote righteousness and suppress evil, and do not occupy personal gain; I know that I am guilty, I don't care. " [3] In On the State, he defined the two major duties of newspapers as "the guide of the people" and "the supervision of the government".
In Russia, as one of the founders of Bolshevik Mars, Lenin put forward a set of theories about the role of newspapers and periodicals. 190 1, Mars 4 published an article "Where to Start" written by Lenin with the title of big-character posters, including a passage regarded as a classic by the former Soviet Union, which is equivalent to the status enjoyed by the First Amendment of the US Constitution. This passage is:
The role of newspapers is not limited to spreading ideas, conducting political education and attracting political allies. Newspapers are not only collective propagandists and agitators, but also collective organizers. As far as the latter is concerned, newspapers can be compared to scaffolding, which is placed around the building under construction to show the outline of the building, facilitate the communication between various construction workers, help them distribute their work and observe the overall achievements of organized labor. Relying on or contacting newspapers will naturally form a fixed organization, which is not only engaged in local work, but also engaged in regular work, educating its members to pay close attention to political events, considering the significance of these events and their influence on different residents' classes, and formulating appropriate measures for the revolutionary party to influence these events.
Lenin believes that the three functions of newspapers, namely, collective propaganda, agitation and organization, are consistent. The basic functions of mass communication in Shi Lamu are summarized as follows:
1. Watchkeeping function: Since ancient primitive society, all tribes have been assigned "watchmen" to watch the horizon. Once they find anything unusual, they immediately beat drums to warn their people to arm themselves and rise up and resist. In today's society, the role played by the media is like "the watcher of drums". Its tasks are diverse, not passively telling you that the enemy is coming, but correctly reflecting the real environment and revealing the truth of the universe correctly and fairly, so as to achieve the function of "seeing".
2. The role of the meeting: When the living groups are facing certain difficulties, people will reach an agreement through the consultation of relatives or the villagers' meeting. Nowadays, mass media has replaced this function, helping people to combine their reactions with the challenges and opportunities that appear on the horizon, and to reconcile different opinions so that people can take concerted action.
3. The role of education: In the uncivilized period, a person's words and deeds throughout his life were influenced by his parents and people around him. In the decentralized agricultural society, the communication between people is not as deep as it is today; The invention of characters, the spread of simplified books and the establishment of schools have gradually established a complete educational and cultural system. The influence of mass media on education is not only extensive, but also deeply rooted in people's hearts. The gap between urban and rural areas has narrowed, the distance gap between people has gradually eliminated, and the knowledge level of the masses has gradually improved. Mass media has made great contributions to the development of education and culture.
4. The role of entertainment: entertainment is as indispensable as food, clothing, housing and transportation for human beings; In primitive society, there were receptions to celebrate the harvest and meet the gods. Therefore, we can't just emphasize the importance of educational function, but ignore the weight that entertainment should occupy. We can even arbitrarily say that the entertainment function is at least equal to the educational function, especially the entertainment function of TV. The mass media has the responsibility to adjust the tense life.
5. The role of business: In the early agricultural society, there was a fixed market. Now interpersonal relationships are becoming more and more complicated, and the market is no longer a place to exchange things. Promoting the smooth flow of property, realizing the relationship between supply and demand between customers and manufacturers, and ensuring the soundness of the economic system are all arduous tasks undertaken by the mass media. 〔4〕
The basic functions of mass communication in Shi Lamu, such as watchkeeping, meeting, education, entertainment and commerce, have been fully reflected in modern society, and these functions are still being strengthened. Mass communication in today's society mainly covers the functions of cultural communication, environmental monitoring, social adjustment and entertainment, which in turn radiate to the reform of social system, the composition of social organizations and the operation of social economy.
Second, the embodiment of today's media functions
First of all, the function of cultural communication refers to the inheritance of culture by mass communication, which embodies the educational function of mass communication to continue social traditions and spread social experience and knowledge. In China, some TV stations have set up special educational channels, and many TV channels broadcast cultural special programs to publicize cultural awareness and inherit Chinese civilization; In western countries, the government and people attach great importance to the development of children's intelligence, adult education and vocational education by means of mass media. The success of "Open University" in Britain is a model of universal education of radio and television.
In addition, the mass media continue to provide a large number of reports on social events. This kind of communication activity has played one of the most important functions of mass media: to convey information about the surrounding environment, traffic, cultural news, economic market and all kinds of disasters and threats that are about to happen or have happened to the public to meet their needs. This mass circulation of news information highlights the "environmental monitoring" function of mass communication.
Mass communication can regulate social organisms, help people vent their dissatisfaction and meet temporary psychological needs. Therefore, it is vividly called "the exhaust valve of society". Western countries are very good at using the "exhaust" function of mass media to adjust society and maintain social stability.
Entertainment function is an extremely important function of mass communication and an important factor in the formation of mass culture. Popular culture means that the masses enjoy the cultural achievements created by human beings and become a group behavior with persistence, stability and convergence. Popular culture is spread by mass communication, which has obvious characteristics of entertainment, recreation and commerce. As a culture accepted by the public, it is inseparable from the progress of mass communication technology-radio, television, books and periodicals, audio-visual and other technologies. As the cradle of mass culture, the development of mass media itself provides the necessary conditions for the spread of mass culture. On the positive side, mass media promotes communication and mutual understanding between people and between people and society, and makes the psychology of social members tend to be consistent, which is the social consciousness basis of mass culture communication.
Mass media has many functions, such as monitoring the environment, coordinating relations and inheriting culture, which is of great significance to promoting social and economic development. Because social production and economic activities occupy the primary position in modern society, any individual and social organization has the need to obtain all kinds of information and adjust corresponding behavior according to this information. Therefore, the role of mass media in promoting social economy is to collect and publish information and guide production and consumption. For example, newspapers have economic pages, radio stations have economic stations, and TV stations also have special economic channels and financial programs.
Third, the complementary function of media diversification.
In the information society, media pluralism has been formed. After newspapers, radio, television and other media, the "fourth media" (Internet) appeared. With the vigorous development of emerging media, more and more information is provided to the public. Various media have their own strengths, complementary functions and common development.
Newspapers and current affairs magazines are of course not as timely as electronic media because they are recorded in writing. However, in addition to simply recording news events, newspapers can also conduct in-depth and detailed analysis and verification, which is incomparable to electronic media. Although the use of cameras can provide more communication elements for the audience, its appearance will also make the reported objects of news events wary and it is difficult to obtain in-depth and valuable information. Washington post's masterpiece and the Watergate incident that led to President Nixon's downfall are proof of the in-depth coverage that electronic media can't reach.
The New York Times's prestigious journalist James? James Reston is also a good example. From 65438 to 0953, Reston became the chief reporter in Washington, and began his political column writing career for more than 30 years the following year. He went deep into the inner core of power, interviewed nine presidents, won two Pulitzer prizes for journalism and held 28 honorary doctorates. Eric, a famous CBS TV critic? Eric Shevarred once said that Reston's column is a must-read for all influential people; President Zhan Sen also said: "There is no one in the government who does not read his column. He must read it." Reston's belief in the lofty position of journalism is firm. He is convinced that the press shoulders a mission and even thinks that the press is a necessary system. 〔5〕
199565438+On February 6th, Reston died at the age of 86, and The Times called him an "unparalleled reporter" with the headline. Catherine, the chairman of Washington post, the sworn enemy of Time? Katharine graham also praised him as "the greatest journalist of his generation and the hero of the press." [6] Reston's political column has improved the status of the times in the press, and at the same time, it also shows that the charm of words is the crucial reason why print media can't survive.
Electronic media, such as radio and television, win with speed. The appearance of mobile television relay vehicle (SNG) has fully played its role. It can arrive at the scene in time and report the whole process to the audience synchronously. But its disadvantage is that sometimes unverified messages will be sent together because of the pursuit of speed. Even so, it is undeniable that the role and function of electronic media are inspiring. For example, CCTV's news investigation, focus interview, and CBS's "60 Minutes" are all "trump cards" programs for analyzing and reporting social problems.
In recent years, CCTV has done a good job in in-depth reporting and exposing social injustice. 200 1 CCTV has become a model for domestic media to "speak for the people" and safeguard public interests because of the exposure of the "moon cake incident" in Nanjing Guanshengyuan.
Nanjing Guanshengyuan is an old-fashioned enterprise with a history of more than 80 years, which is famous for operating moon cakes. During the period of 1993, Nanjing Guanshengyuan was reorganized by a joint venture with foreign investors, which was once prosperous, and the annual sales volume of moon cakes reached 1000 kg. In September, 20001year, after the scandal of making moon cakes with old fillings in Nanjing Guansheng Garden was exposed, the production and operation were in trouble, which eventually led to bankruptcy and implicated many domestic enterprises with the same name.
What happened: After the Mid-Autumn Festival in 2000, Guanshengyuan Food Factory successively recycled unsold moon cakes from various places and transported them to the workshop with window paper. Then peel and take the stuffing, stir fry again, and put it in storage for refrigeration. The following year, the food factory processed these expired raw materials into moon cakes and put them on the market. CCTV reporters secretly filmed the whole process and broadcast it in News 30 Minutes, which caused an uproar.
CCTV reporter said that the purpose of reporting this news is to return the true colors of the moon cake market and ensure the consumption safety of ordinary people. This is the maintenance of public interests by domestic electronic media, which shows that electronic media has great potential in in-depth reporting.
Compared with electronic media, the network spreads faster, but the complexity of information content seriously weakens its credibility. However, this cannot hide its advantages of multi-function and large capacity. The proliferation of electronic newspapers and Internet TV is enough to cover the basic functions of traditional media, and its power should not be underestimated.
In short, traditional media and emerging media have their own advantages and disadvantages. If we can learn from each other's strengths and complement each other in development, it will further enhance the influence of mass media in social mechanisms.
Fourth, the social function of the media is unbalanced.
The powerful role of the media is obvious to all. However, improper use of mass media will lead to the imbalance of its social functions. If a large amount of information is instilled into the audience without screening, it will have a negative effect called mass communication "anesthesia" by American communication scholar lazarsfeld (paul F Lazarsfeld 190 1- 1976). The media creates an "information flood" for commercial interests, which makes people lose their psychological endurance and society lose their perception. Turn on the TV, countless messages are transmitted instantly, and people have no time to think or recall the contents. In the long run, the surging tide of information will surely hit every corner of society, and people will only feel their existence, but they will turn a blind eye and turn a deaf ear. What's more, the media report some information about disasters or social unrest without explanation, which often causes social panic and anxiety. At this point, the mass media completely lost its due function.
However, mass media use the method of "topic setting" to select and comment on news. This kind of filtering and explanation of news sometimes leads to the negative effects of mass communication on society. Because of the processed opinions and opinions, as the receiver of information, individuals do not need to analyze and evaluate. Over time, the public's thinking ability will be affected to varying degrees, and even weaken the judgment of society and individuals. In addition, if the mass media reports or explains news information improperly, it will cause social deviation. For example, the report of criminal behavior may provide potential criminals with criminal methods and imitation behavior.
In addition, after World War II, American journalists used to report events in politics, business and other fields in detail on the grounds of "the public's right to know" and expose unknown facts. However, in recent years, the behavior of some journalists has put "the public's right to know" in an embarrassing situation.
This kind of abuse of press freedom and trampling on press ethics is also a manifestation of the social dysfunction of the media. Of course, the mass media plays a huge role in social life, but if the media, by virtue of its irreplaceable position, ignores social responsibilities and acts recklessly, it will lead to dysfunction. This phenomenon is particularly serious in the era of electronic communication.
Many communication scholars and sociologists believe that the arrival of the era of social informatization and electronic communication marks the beginning of the era of real mass culture. But at the same time, popular culture also shows a bad tendency to cater to the public's taste or pursue commercial interests while ignoring social interests. In western society, the high commercialization of the media makes it no longer limited to making ordinary entertainment programs to meet people's leisure and entertainment needs, and the media has become a "cash cow" for obtaining huge commercial profits.
According to statistics, Americans watch TV for an average of seven hours a day. However, in order to win advertising profits, media operators do not hesitate to attract viewers with violence, crime, pornography and other programs, which increases the juvenile crime rate and brings social instability. According to relevant statistics, each viewer sees sexual behavior on average 9000 times a year from TV programs; Middle school students spend more than twice as much time watching TV as in class, reaching 22,000 hours, during which18,000 murders can be seen. 〔7〕
The popularity of popular culture easily leads to vulgarization. In the long run, popular culture, which is easy to understand, illustrated with pictures and sounds, will reduce people's cultural level and thinking ability to a certain extent. The commercialization and entertainment of popular culture have blocked the road of its condensation and rise to exquisite culture, and the prospect is worrying.
To this end, we believe that in today's era of electronic communication, the social responsibilities and functions that mass media should perform include at least the following six aspects.
1. Report the truth fairly and objectively; Expose social injustice or unknown events that affect the public interest.
2. Urge the government to implement the policy of benefiting the people.
3. Carry forward human virtues and advocate a good social atmosphere.
4. Pay attention to topics of public concern, transmit new information, and let public demands reach those in power.
5. Enlightenment, the media can not only guide public opinion, but also create public opinion to arouse the audience's understanding of the importance of the problem and correct unfair policy deviations.
6. Relieve the pressure and bring pleasure to the people.
In modern society, a sound social system, diversified speech environment and positive social outlook are the basic prerequisites for mass media to give full play to its social functions. However, we cannot simply define mass media as the sole undertaker of these functions. In fact, they have close rights and obligations with the public and the country. It is unreasonable and unrealistic to leave the responsibility of realizing the mass communication function entirely to the media or the state. Shi Lamu once said: "The responsibility should be borne by the government, the media and the public." .