It is crucial to have an independent and reliable press.
People need to know who owns the press. If the press is biased because it is owned by a handful of billionaire families, if it loses its objectivity, if it no longer relays verified facts and reliable information, but instead disseminates opinions, then it deprives the public of its ability to form an informed opinion. People no longer know who to believe. A media outlet that fires its journalists because because of articles based on facts that displease shareholders or owners is problematic. This situation encourages the spread of misinformation and the manipulation of public opinion, to the benefit of populists and special interests. This is an opportunity for various swindlers to spread false information to further their own interests. They can freely spread false information to further their own agendas, with the public no longer able to tell fact from fiction. These are no longer articles that help people think critically based on facts. The media then shifts from a factual information tool to a propaganda tool.
Furthermore, an accurate representation of scientific knowledge is essential. It is imperative to prioritize scientific knowledge that has been established and validated by the scientific community. The press must report the facts that are agreed upon by the scientific community, rather than the opinion of a so-called scientist acting in isolation and who generates sensational headlines but holds a false view, unsupported by scientific evidence.
People must be able to choose a free and independent press. They must also also learn about the various opinions expressed through freedom of speech. The press must not ignore prevailing opinions, provided it clearly states where those opinions come from and what proportion of the population they represent, and must correct them when they state falsehoods. The public must be able to choose a trustworthy press.
If journalists and scientists are not trustworthy, then people no longer know whom to believe. The public’s ability to form an informed opinion is compromised. If the press is not neutral, then it oppresses.
A press and a science that are not reliable threaten the very foundations of democracy.
The media must be chosen according to Kantian morality: what would happen if all journalists acted like this particular media? Choosing a media outlet simply because it panders to its readers is dangerous. Such outlets must be rejected. It is necessary to choose a media that challenge its readers with facts, tell the truth, and encourage reflection on the common good. The same applies to science.
It is necessary to have a population education in morality in order to make better choices.
– Médias français, qui possède quoi? – Le Monde diplomatique: https://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/cartes/PPA
– La rédaction du “Figaro” dénonce l’omniprésence de Serge Dassault: http://www.lemonde.fr/actualite-medias/article/2008/10/01/la-redaction-du-figaro-denonce-l-omnipresence-de-serge-dassault_1101707_3236.html#m2IE6d1GAKw9yIA5.99
Translated with DeepL and Ollama TranslateGemma
