We usually consider the media as the ‘fourth power’ because of their capacity for advocacy and ability to set the political and public agenda: Critical Analysis Assignment, NUS, Singapore

Learning Outcomes:-

• Express understanding of a discipline-specific text through critical analysis.
• Apply ethical principles of summarizing, paraphrasing, and accurate referencing using APA citation conventions.
• Demonstrate proficiency in sentence structure, paragraphing, and text flow in writing.

Why the role of media is so important to communicate the UN’s 16 Sustainable Development Goals

We usually consider the media as the ‘fourth power’ because of their capacity for advocacy and ability to set the political and public agenda. For the United Nations, a free, independent, and pluralistic media sector “is a prerequisite for the creation and maintenance of functioning democracies, supporting the creation of peaceful, just and inclusive societies”. Therefore, the media can, in different ways, support the achievement of the 2030 Agenda, especially the 16 SDGs and its targets.

• The media have the potential to be actors for peace and development by:

1. preventing and reducing the spread of hate speech and misinformation that leads to
2. violence.
3. providing conflict-sensitive reports on root causes of conflicts and peaceful solutions.
4. offering a platform for dialogue and support broad-based social cohesion, rather than a
5. vehicle for reinforcing identity-based policies that exclude certain communities in society.
6. encouraging two-way communication on humanitarian and development issues, in
7. accordance with good practices in communication for development.
8. providing gender-sensitive reports on issues such as violence against women.

• The media can help to promote the rule of law at national and international levels and equal access to justice for all by:

1. visualizing the problem of exemption from punishment from certain elite segments of society.
2. informing the public about access to justice and human rights issues.
3. disseminating information held by public agencies.
4. acting as guardian of the executive and judicial powers.

• The media has a significant influence on the discovery of illicit operations, the fight against corruption, and the expression of citizens’ concerns.
• The media and professional journalism are responsible for verifying and spreading relevant information for citizens by:

1. increasing the availability and accessibility of verified information, such as generating evidence on the performance of public officials.
2. taking advantage of universal access to information held by public organizations.
3. aligning the focus and timing of the information with the political process; This can be a critical first step in promoting greater government accountability and responsiveness.
4. improving government response capacity by channeling comments.
5. raising awareness of citizens’ rights vis-à-vis public institutions and providing information on services and rights.
6. checking facts, counteracting and exposing the sources of disinformation.

• The media can promote political participation and inclusion by:

1. promoting political participation, through reflecting and organizing national /
   community conversations on governance.
2. helping to reinforce democratic and other progressive norms by making accurate and credible information available from reliable sources.
3. reflecting and acting as a medium for the voices of population groups that have historically been on the fringes of public debates.
4. providing balanced, independent, and timely coverage during electoral periods: informed voters are essential for electoral democracy.
5. supporting the integrity of elections.
6. promoting media and information literacy for citizens.

• The media advocate for public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national laws and international agreements by:

1. strengthening an enabling environment for free media actors through advocacy and policy advice.
2. supporting training for independent media professionals so that they are able to request information necessary for investigative journalism and for all areas of development reporting, including reporting on the progress made in achieving the SDGs.
3. promoting and protecting freedom of expression, the safety of journalists, and putting an end to impunity from crimes against journalists.
4. supporting the development of public service journalism, the coverage of progress or setbacks in access to information, and the safety of journalists.