The media should play the role of watchdog but it can also be manipulated to reflect the agenda of a powerful owner. The authorities need to be proactive, strategic and professional in their relationship with the news media. Willingly or not, it has long been recognised that the police and media can become locked into a complex loop of interdependence.
The media depends on the police for the constant release of “crime and crash” information as the lifeblood of their news stories and the police depend on media coverage for help in crime prevention and detection, and also in the promotion of a positive image for policing work.
The effective management and use of information has an important role to play in crime prevention, reduction and investigation strategies, and the amount of information that police officers encounter in the course of their work is considerable.
Depending on how transparent a news article is, one can determine its reliability and make assumptions or draw one’s own conclusions from the findings. Media transparency brings up issues concerning freedom of speech since governments may censor what information is conveyed in order to sway public opinion. Corruption has been a major issue in areas of the world where there is a lack of media transparency. (Courtesy of Eleven Media)
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