International understanding in the information age

Abstract

This thesis examines the situation of recent years whereby information in the electronic media has become abundant in the Western World through the medium of television news, yet an understanding of the events portrayed has not correspondingly progressed. The enquiry begins by examining how television news contributes to people's understanding of events by considering how they view reality from the messages television news provides. The levels of this analysis is threefold, each in effect acting as a building block upon the other. The theory begins with individual cognition, which is initially surveyed so that a background may be provided for the collective analysis of understanding events which is the second level, the national situation. The final level of analysis, the international situation, uses the preceding levels to create a meaningful unit to measure one nation's appreciation of what is occurring in another; that unit is the 'dominant paradigm of reality' each nation possesses. The pattern and effects of information flow throughout the world are then looked at in the context of who controls the production of the news, who receives it and what meaning do they take from the final product. The methodology used was to collect a number of theories and to apply them to this particular question and wherever possible utilize cases and instances of broadcast news to illustrate and reinforce the point being made. To this end several examples of broadcast news throughout the 1970's, 1980's and 1990 have been forwarded as empirical evidence. Of particular interest was the Western bias of the messages that are provided by the news and the great detriment this has on the Third World’s chances of understanding the world about it. A chapter is devoted to this aspect of the world information situation. The conclusions reached indicated that despite information technology making great advances in the amount of information it can provide, great barriers remain in the way of understanding in the world being increased. These barriers include the nature of international power, the intent of the information provider and the 'reality' that is particular to each nation. In short, the information age is a misnomer for many who subject to the restrictive way they received the news, have come no closer to understanding the world around them even though the televised picture of the event has reached them mere minutes after the event's occurrence on the other side of the globe.