jurga-ilona - conception of the public sphere - the baltic countries

7/28/2019 Jurga-Ilona - Conception of the Public Sphere - The Baltic Countries

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Conception of The Public

Sphere (The Baltic Countries)Jurga Jasineviit

Ilona Jurkonyt


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The goal: to overlook theoretical

approaches towards the phenomena of

public sphere and analyze itstransformation using data of Baltic

countries during the national awakening

period (1987 1990).


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The public sphere we can define following Habermas,

Garnhem and Jakubowitcz

It is as the network of media, educational,

knowledge and opinion-forming institutionswithin civil society whose operation is conducive

to the emergence of public opinion as a political

power (Jakubowitcz, 1997, p. 155)


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Curran distinguishes three approaches to the public

sphere: According to classical liberal theory, the public sphere is

the space between government and society in whichprivate individuals exercise formaland informal controlover the state (the media concidered to be the fourthestate of realm , watchdog).

Radical democratic theory conceives the media as abattlegroundbetween contending forces.

Traditional Marxist/communist perspective maintains theopinion that the media should be viewed as ideologicalapparatus of the state, working for propaganda.


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Nicholas Garnham considering Habermass theory counts at least three

virtues of Habermass approach towards public sphere.

Firstly, Habermass original approach focuses upon the

link between the institutions and practices ofmass public

communication and the institutions and practices of

democratic politics.

Habermass approach focuses on the necessary material

resource base for any public sphere.

Third, Habermas distinguishes the public sphere from

both state and market.


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Habermass concept of public sphere offers a basis for the

critical analysis of current developments of both media and

democratic politics.

Garnham claims that usual structures of public communication are changing.This change is characterized by:

(1) a reinforcement of the marketand the progressive destruction of publicservice as the preferred mode for the allocation of cultural resources;

(2) by a focus on a TV setas the locus for a privatized, domestic mode ofconsumption;

(3) by the creation of market divided between the information-rich andinformation-poor;

(4) by a shiftfrom largely national to largely international markets in theinformational and cultural spheres.


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Without freedom ofassemblyand freedom to impact and

receive information it would be impossible for citizens:

1 - to possess the knowledge of the views of other necessary toreach agreements between themselves;

2 - to possess knowledge of the actions of those to whomexecutive responsibilities are delegated so as to make themaccountable;

3 - to poses knowledge of the external environment necessary toarrive at appropriate judgmentof both personal and societal

interests.


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The main characteristic of nowadays communication its

mediated nature.Mediated character of communication,according to Garnham, brings such issues:

Not everyone has got equal access to both channel and means ofcommunication. Cannel and means of communication are possibleto control.

Second, what also became mediated is the content ofcommunication and the subject of debate, or to use Habermassterminology, the experience of the lifeworld.

The establishment of representative forms in political scoperendered the rationalization and alienation elements. This alienation

of indirect democracy reveal its best features when it is necessary todeal with multiple variables.


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When communication is mediated, two things are really

important:

Duty to listen to the views of others and to

alternative versions of events.

Participation in debate, closely linked to

responsibilityfor the effects that go as the result of

the actions.


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Garnham claims that the possibility of arriving at a

rationally grounded consensus can only be

demonstrated in practice by entering into a

concrete and historically specific process ofrational debate with other human beings (...) the

task is to cooperate in building the political,

economic and communication institutions.

(Garnham, 1996, p. 375)


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The answer to postmodern

critiques is:

Habermass work is not utopian, it israther tragic. It recognizes the extremefragility of human civilization and the

difficulty of sustaining the social bondsof mutual obligation, facing enmity of

psychological, internal and externalforces.


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Media trasformation in Baltic

countries in 1987-1990

The apearance of a new style of speaking inmedia (critics about soviet regime).

Tendency towards democratization media

content. The explosive growth of circulation of the

press.

Job market in the field of journalismexpanded rapidly.


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Leading Lithuanian Dailies

Circulation 1990-2001.

Title Type Ownership

Circulation

(thousands)

1990

Circulation

(thous)

1995

Circulation

(thous)

2001

Lietuvos rytasNational

daily

National

shareholders523 70 49

RespublikaNational

daily

National

shareholders122 48 42

Kauno dienaRegional

daily

Orkla Media

(Norway)113 57 42

Lietuvos iniosNational

tabloidPrivate person - - 25

Verslo iniosBusiness

daily

Bonnier Media

Group (Sweden)14 9 8


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Circulation of Dailies in Estonia

in 1987-20001987 1988 1999 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Average Circulation

of one daily

(in thousands)

63 68 76 83 64 31 23 19 16 17 15 16 18 20

Circulation ofdailies per 1,000

inhabitants

406 433 486 528 411 199 183 186 162 173 178 175 189 182

Circulation of

non-dailies per

1,000 inhabitants

338 380 446 549 709 518 613 590 419 361 343 325 290 231


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Media role in the emergence of a

new public sphere

Media is an important social mechanism usedfor the political breakthrough in the Balticcountries

Media is like a source of encouragement topublic action.

Media can play a crucial role in mobilizing themasses

Media is like a socializing agent, socializespeople of common thinking about publicdemands


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The public sphere and the political

culture

The participation in politics can be treated asparticipation in the public sphere. So publicsphere has some common aspects with thepolitical culture.

Baltic countries in 1987-1990 can becharacterized by a very active level ofparticipation in politics.

The period of national awakening in Baltics isusually called by theorists as a mythologicalstage of political culture.


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Towards creating a more democratic

public sphere

Some tasks: to create more diversity in media content and in media

outlets numbers, that it should reflect different interestsin society

to enlarge the participation of marginalized society

groups in public debates and politics

Nowadays is undergoing discussion about the publicjournalism idea, which concerns problems of democracy,equality, participation.

Public journalism is defined as more practical efforts ofjournalists to encourage people to participate in publicaffairs.


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Numbers of Newspapers and Magazines

in the Baltics, 1990-2000

Number of newspaper (titles) 1990 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Estonia 165 146 119 102 109 105 109

Latvia 172 286 252 229 226 235 227

Lithuania 324 477 443 439 415 377 361

Number of magazines and

other periodicals (titles)

Estonia 434 501 517 572 578 930 956

Latvia 243 235 229 273 266 262 325

Lithuania 159 321 351 378 412 418 465


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Nations in Transit 2001 ratings for democratisation

Central

Europe

Average of

Political

process

Civil societyIndependent

media

Governance

and public

administration

Democratization

Czech Republic 1.75 1.50 2.00 2.00 1.81

Hungary 1,25 1,25 2,25 3 1,94

Poland 1,25 1,25 1,5 1,75 1,44

Slovakia 2,25 2 2 2,75 2,25

Slovenia 1,75 1,75 1,75 2,5 1,94Balkans

Albania 4 4 4,25 4,25 4,13

Bosnia 4,75 4,5 4,5 6 4,94

Bulgaria 2 3,5 3,25 3,5 3,06

Croatia 3,25 2,75 3,5 3,5 3,25

Macedonia 3,75 3,75 3,75 3,75 3,75Romania 3 3 3,5 3,75 3,31

Yugoslavia 4,75 4 4,5 5,25 4,63

Baltics

Estonia 1,75 2,25 1,75 2,25 2

Latvia 1,75 2 1,75 2,25 1,94

Lithuania 1,75 1,75 1,75 2,5 1,94


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CIS

Average of

Political

process

Civil societyIndependent

media

Governance

and public

administration

Democratization

Armenia 5,5 3,5 4,75 4,5 4,56

Azerbaijan 5,75 4,5 5,75 6,25 5,56

Belarus 6,75 6,5 6,75 6,25 6,56

Georgia 4,5 4 3,5 4,75 4,19

Kazakhstan 6,25 5 6 5 5,56

Kyrgyzstan 5,75 4,5 5 5,25 5,13

Moldova 3,25 3,75 4,25 4,5 3,94

Russia 4,25 4 5,25 5 4,63

Tajikistan 5,25 5 5 6 5,44

Turkmenistan 7 7 7 6,75 6,94

Ukraine 4 3,75 5,25 4,75 4,44

Uzbekistan 6,75 6,5 6,75 6 6,5


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Conclusions

Public sphere can be seen as the network of media, educational,knowledge and opinion-forming institutions participating in politicalsphere. Here we can stress the mediated character of nowadayspublic sphere.

Theorists of public sphere claim that the Western structure of publicsphere is changing as the political map during last 20 years haschanged a lot.

The public sphere can consist of multiple small spheres. It is nothomogeneous. So only in this way it can be called democratic.

Media in the period of 1987-1990 in Baltic countries became a placefor public debate over the emergence of a new public sphere insociety.

During the period of National Awakening in Baltics there was anexplosion of press circulation, that shows the active participation inthe public domain.

Nowadays we observe the increasing diversity of newspaper titles but

not the circulation. This is important going towards democracybecause we can find more different opinions reflected in mediatedpublic sphere. But the participation of people in the public sphere andpolitics is not of so high level. We face problems of access,marginalization.

According to the democracy rating (consisted) among Central Europecountries Baltic countries are quite advanced: share third (Lithuania,

Latvia) and fourth places (Estonia).

jurga-ilona - conception of the public sphere - the baltic countries

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