Week 4 Reading Reaction #1

This week's readings touched on a subject that many who have taken Professor Coopman's Social Movements and Communication course will be familiar with and that is the role of alternative and local media as supporters of democracy. The section we read this week from the work Community Media, not only illustrates the significance of the media in developing and evolving communities, but also the crucial importance the media plays in the sustaining of democracy in this country. The very notion of a fully functioning and robust democracy comes in the form of a free and functioning press that is able to report on information that is relevant to the current state of being in the country. Alexis de Tocqueville first pointed out in his travels to the United States in the 19th century, that one of the markers of a functioning democracy was the free flow of information that was reported irrespective of reverence for the state or political affiliation. He found that the ability to print materials that were reflective of local needs or ideas was necessary for the interaction of ideas at all levels of government.

Similarly, this week's readings points out the importance of the the media, especially those that operate for local purposes without the permission of the FCC, to the benefit of keeping the spirit of democracy alive. Information is crucial in order for people to make informed decisions, and when such information is censored as is the case of many radio stations that must operate under the rules of the FCC or those that are unable to obtain a license because of the exorbitant fees that are charged to gain an opportunity to broadcast, such limitations halt the spread of information and therefore challenge the very principles of democracy that allow for the system to be maintained. The ability to maintain self-expression without censorship is crucial to maintaining the freedom of speech so cherished by the principles of our functioning democracy. When such limitations are imposed, the possibilities for further limitations become even greater, posing a larger threat to the freedom on information and the process of thought.