CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE MEDIA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE MEDIA - Essay Example Globalization, which â€Å"denotes the expanding scale, growing magnitude, speeding up and deepening impact of transcontinental flows and patterns of social interaction,†2 implies the intermingling of people from different culture and race, which makes it necessary that there is a mutual respect for each other’s cultural or racial differences, for peaceful coexistence. The term cultural diversity is exemplified by UNESCO (under Article I of Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity) as, Culture takes diverse forms across time and space. This diversity is embodied in the uniqueness and plurality of the identities of the groups and societies making up humankind. As a source of exchange, innovation and creativity, cultural diversity is as necessary for humankind as biodiversity is for nature. In this sense, it is the common heritage of humanity and should be recognized and affirmed for the benefit of present and future generations.3 Cultural diversity, which in simple terms, means respecting existing cultural differences amongst various society members, can be expressed through different channels, the most potent route in this era of information and technology, being the public news media (like Internet, newspaper, radio, or TV).4 Through the news media, diverse cultural groups are able to air their opinions, and able to relate to other members with same cultural values, or even reach out to people who are not a part of their culture. However, cultural diversity in media is much dependent on the way a country’s government frames its democratic and cultural polices, and the manner in which media groups handle the issue of freedom of expression. In this context, the article first studies the importance of culture and cultural diversity within a state democracy, then examines the two cultural diversity models that exist in terms of news media,5 and lastly the model implemented in US news media