Merrill, J. C 2000, “Democracy and the Press: The Reality and the Myth”, Media Asia, vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 197-199, ProQuest Asian Business and Reference.
Merrill’s article purports that free press does not reflect the political, economical, and social behavior of the society (p.199). Indeed, the term “Democracy” is sometimes misinterpreted especially in Asian countries. This misinterpretation is born from the assumption that a majority of the citizens are well-informed, competent voters who regularly participate in democratic elections. By doing so, the reader can acknowledge the author’s main argument that political system should be developed based on the reflection of the country’s culture. From these insights, it is concluded that the press does not play a major role in a democratic country (p.199).
Based on the existing democratic governments and the interpretations by the Asian media, Merrill illustrates that America does not include the word democracy in the United States constitution. Yet, as they practice democracy, the United States government portrays the people to be independent by involving them to vote in the political parties. Where as, “Asian press does not see its role as expanding democracy” (p.198). High context culture may be the cause of this. The people do not realize the hidden agenda that the press is generating. The author adamantly believes that the free press does not promote democracy; instead, the free press publishes gossip, sports updates, and extreme life styles of the wealthy or the poor and ignores the average citizen issues. Seemingly, the author’s point of view is viewed as a very strong statement that democracy cannot solve social problems (p.199).
