ACMJ Article

Access to information is essential to the health of democracy for at least two reasons. First, it ensures that citizens make responsible, informed choices rather than acting out of ignorance or misinformation. Secondly, information serves a "checking function" by ensuring that elected representatives uphold their oaths of office and carry out the wishes of those who elected them, which can only be done through media pluralism. But many post-communist nations have restrictive media regulations that limit the freedom of the press that is protected by their constitutions or by international agreements that they have ratified. Government control of media in many African countries leaves little scope for dissenting opinions and public debate. Such are the obstacles to media freedom. A small number of families dominate the media in Central America, endangering the democratic achievements made possible by the peace process of the 1990s. This article takes a look at media pluralism as a cornerstone for a sustainable democratic society. The first section treated the background information, followed by "Democratic theory and media roles" that lead to the three models. The next section takes a look at pluralism in the media and democracy, which shows the duties of media in an active, pluralised society. The outcome of this article reveals that media pluralism and the plurality of media content are catalysts for a sustainable democratic society, as they help citizens to make the right decisions, choose wisely, and hold leaders accountable. This article concluded that without active media pluralism, healthy democracy is invisible.

MEDIA PLURALISM: A CORNERSTONE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY, 2024, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 121-132. PDF