Gathering Place
 Alf Pratte |
The public isn’t all that
interested in public affairs
Middle managers from Hawaii's broadcast industry have good explanations as to why television stations aren't doing their jobs very well as watchdogs of government.
And the reasons for the malfunction can't be attributed to cost-cutting conservative, bottom-line corporations, or even to the so-called "liberal bias" of reporters alone.
The fact is that even though journalists want to fulfill their community role providing news and informed opinion, surveys by the broadcasters reveal that most Hawaii citizens simply are not interested in public affairs news as they ought to be.
Although broadcasters share some culpability for the absence of hard-hitting reporting, KHON news director Dan Dennison said there is "real disconnect" between First Amend- ment ideals and what the public wants, watches, listens to, or reads. Instead of public support for newspapers and TV stations that meet priority societal needs for information and informed opinion necessary for voters in a complex democracy, viewers prefer visual titillation, sensationalism and musical gimmicks that satiate individual wants and gratification.
Such is the dilemma facing Hawaii's media this election year, particularly broadcasters who borrow the public airways, according to Dennison, KHNL news director Marvin Buenconsejo and Star-Bulletin political writer Richard Borreca. The trio provided the other side of the story Tuesday during a panel discussion sponsored by the Honolulu Community Media Council. Their views provide another wake-up call for Hawaii citizens. We all need to be more serious about demanding, listen to, watching, reading and studying public affairs news relating to election campaigns and state and local governments.
The comments of the three newsmen described the ideal or "delayed reward" in-depth news essential if a representative government is to function on behalf of the public rather than special interests.
The ideal model contrasts with the reality of the public's passion for "instant reward" or "infotainment" competing for what remains of a disappearing news hole hijacked by advertising,public relations, sports, crime news, celebrities and other dumbed-down accounts that have come to characterize most government and political reporting today.
Members of the HCMC and their guests also took pot shots at the beleaguered panelists. They said Hawaii's media:
» Overcovered celebrities or public figures caught in wrongdoing while ignoring more serious crimes and important legislative actions leading to government decision-making.Despite trimming back on staff and veteran reporters, the panelists agreed that there are still a handful of good investigative reporters in Hawaii. The competition between the major dailies, other print publications and broadcast outlets contributes to the assessment from one HCMC member that Hawaii's press is neither bad nor good but deserves a slightly less than moderate grade in its coverage of public affairs.» Needed to provide more expensive, time-consuming investigative reporting.
» Needed to give a longer "shelf life" to hard-to-understand public affairs.
» Needed to remind readers of what happened to individuals prominent in the news before disappearing from the media radar screen.
As an another important step to encourage greater citizen awareness in the electoral process, state Rep. Galen Fox announced the formation of a Clean Campaigns Project committee endorsed by the media council.
The bi-partisan committee includes former City Councilwoman Marilyn Bornhorst, Kate Zhou of the University of Hawaii political science department, Randall Roth of the UH law school, and former media council president Warren Iwasa. Their charge is to provide a community forum to promote fairness and enhance credibility of the electoral system. Such a committee cannot succeed, however, unless the Hawaii media support and cover the panel's actions as impartial referees and educators.
One hope is that with major elections just ahead that the media will give both the Clean Campaigns Project as well as the HCMC the attention they deserve. What such institutions, along with the League of Women Voters and others do, is promote a more relevant, and fair election system as well as a more responsible mass media.
Despite media failings Hawaii residents can be assured that press coverage does increase public knowledge. Quality media coverage does matter.
Equally as important is the responsibility of Hawaii's citizens to discipline themselves more. For the sake of our communities, we must must take better advantage of the delayed rewards of watching, listening and reading public affairs news so crucial to the democratic process, and to our own lives.