91Â鶹¹ú²ú¾«Æ·×ÔÅÄ

With the exponential  growth of information and communication technologies in the past two decades, the reach and impact of traditional  media  (radio,  television and newspaper) have been expanded and  transformed, and information and news have thus become more widely available than ever before. In this information age, journalists and information professionals play a pivotal role in providing access to information beyond their immediate audience, and in facilitating citizen participation in governance toward democratic societies, peace, and sustainable development.

This module discusses the roles and functions of traditional and online news content providers. Such roles and functions include empowering individuals and societies to exercise their freedoms of expression and information, enabling individuals to recognize falsehood, build civic agency and citizenship, demand transparency and accountability, and practice information ethics. It also considers how technology can contribute to social transformation in societies. All these are basic normative conditions for a democratic society. The module further gives an overview of the roles of the news media, then and now: to seek and speak the truth, make sense of issues and events, serve as a watchdog against abuses, work as an enabler of public debate, facilitate citizen participation, and amplify people’s voices.

The module enables educators to further explore issues such as freedom of information and freedom of expression (including press freedom), as well as the importance of utility, inclusiveness, accuracy, accountability and transparency in news reporting. Finally, dimensions of social autonomy and agency are also examined.

The concept has arisen that many people today live in a post-truth era, partly characterized by the proliferation of false or manipulated content. The module examines this phenomenon and the discipline of fact-checking. It further explains how verification, independence and accountability are what sets journalism apart from the other forms of information exchange.

With new technologies largely availed by massive digital communications companies, we are also witnessing the advent of user-generated content and participation in citizen journalism. While this phenomenon presents us with diverse voices and perspectives, it also reinforces the need to critically evaluate the many sources of content. As media and information literate individuals, educators and learners are able to analyse and evaluate in particular the news they receive, exercise critical civic engagement to demand fair and accurate news reporting, and advocate for free, independent and pluralistic media.