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2009/10/13 2：30
The Press Club: Politics & mass media
All major newspapers and TV stations criticize collusive and corruptive relations between politics and various trades such as general construction, medical industry, agriculture, postal-office network and so on.
For example, constructors depend on lawmakers for the sake of pork-barrel business while they work as vote gathering machiens in central and local elections.
Wasteful public construction works across the country are just a result of this relation.
Major mass media criticize such stagnated relations harshly, and argue that it is "must" for Japan to break down this kind of vested interests to rebuild Japan's economy and society.
But just moment please. Does mass media itself not have nothing to do with this kind of vested interests and privileges? Yes, it has indeed.
On the contrary, mass media itself is also covered and polluted with vested interests.
For example, all newspapers are soled at fixed prices across the country. Under this >"Resale price maintenance," the market principle doesn't work so that price-competition doesn't occur.
Newspaper trade argue that "resale price maintenance is must for the sake of universal service and to secure free-press."
I don't say that their argument has no point. But at the same time, their true intention is to keep their vested interest at least partly.
In addition, major newspapers criticize the Koizumi structural reforms to widen gap between haves and not-haves. But they are liars.
The root cause of widening gap of haves and not-haves is not reforms by former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi but globalization of economy in the great competition period.
To begin with, employers of those mewspapers are "haves" who are enjoying good wages.
If they criticize lower wages, insecure employment and severe working conditions of temporary workers, they should offer their money to loses.
But they only criticize politics and the central and local governments in pretending to be a a champion of justice while making as mush effort as possible to keep their status as winners.
Ha, ha, ha, they are just hypocrites who are totally different in said and done.
Here, there is one system that represents vested interests of existing major mass media firms -- the press clubs.
The press clubs are organizations just like a "guild" to exclude strangers and newbies to protect vested interests and special privileges of existing members, ref.(>"'KISHA' CLUBS IN JAPAN. Press clubs: Exclusive access to, pipelines for info")
Off course, the press clubs are not complete evils. Indeed, they have both merit and demerit.
For example, it is nothing more than waste of time and chore for entities such as governmental ministries and agencies to say same matters many times repeatedly.
So it is rational and convenient for both communications and officials to aggregate persons in mass media for the sake of news releases or press conferences.
But at the same time, it is absolutely true that "water stagnated without flow is to rot." I mean "hesitation" occurs.
Namely, the press clubs are hotbeds of collusions and corruptions. They are utilized by politicians and officials for the sake of propaganda and information manipulation.
In addition, the existence of the press clubs affect relations among member news organs.
For example, when one member aims to steal a march in getting a scoop, an organizational rule checks it. If a rule is broken, others punish -- social ostracism, striking off from a list and so on.
Anyway, it is not a Japan's unique problem.
"Politics-Press Relation" issue is an almost common phenomenon around the world, ref.(>"The BBC under fire, Bashing Auntie" & "Italy and the free press, Muzzling the messengers" & "The media & Spain's government, Prisa zapped")
As the new DPJ has deprived power from the LDP, the Hatoyama administration intends to break bureaucracy-initiated politics down and reform the press club system.
But frankly say, I am pessimistic about the perspective of this challenge, ref.(>"Press club faithful fight change" & "The press and politics in Japan, Let the rising sunlight in")
It is just a intuition for every and each person or entity to want to protect vested interests and privileges.
So it is only natural that organizational defense instinct to avoid fundamental reforms and reject new comers.
Probably, the DPJ's intention to reform the press clubs won't achieve significant results as the result of anti-reform resistance from both officials and news organs.
The reason is really simple -- because both officials and communications are enjoying vested interests. So they don't want to change current convenient and comfortable conditions dramatically.
New organs that criticize vested interest and privilege themselves are conservative privileged classes.
Anyway, reform-pressure is coming not from politics but internet.
Indeed, existing paper-based major news organs are being eroded by internet and losing their profitabilities, ref.(>"Murdoch: Japan newspapers will have to charge for online content" & ""諸君！"の休刊と"横浜事件"について思う")
For the sake of survival, both news organs and the press clubs must modify themselves. Here, the problem is "how." The only god know at least for the time being.
For your ref.>Japan broadcast commission?
>Decline of conventional paper-based media
0
For example, constructors depend on lawmakers for the sake of pork-barrel business while they work as vote gathering machiens in central and local elections.
Wasteful public construction works across the country are just a result of this relation.
Major mass media criticize such stagnated relations harshly, and argue that it is "must" for Japan to break down this kind of vested interests to rebuild Japan's economy and society.
But just moment please. Does mass media itself not have nothing to do with this kind of vested interests and privileges? Yes, it has indeed.
On the contrary, mass media itself is also covered and polluted with vested interests.
For example, all newspapers are soled at fixed prices across the country. Under this >"Resale price maintenance," the market principle doesn't work so that price-competition doesn't occur.
Newspaper trade argue that "resale price maintenance is must for the sake of universal service and to secure free-press."
I don't say that their argument has no point. But at the same time, their true intention is to keep their vested interest at least partly.
In addition, major newspapers criticize the Koizumi structural reforms to widen gap between haves and not-haves. But they are liars.
The root cause of widening gap of haves and not-haves is not reforms by former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi but globalization of economy in the great competition period.
To begin with, employers of those mewspapers are "haves" who are enjoying good wages.
If they criticize lower wages, insecure employment and severe working conditions of temporary workers, they should offer their money to loses.
But they only criticize politics and the central and local governments in pretending to be a a champion of justice while making as mush effort as possible to keep their status as winners.
Ha, ha, ha, they are just hypocrites who are totally different in said and done.
Here, there is one system that represents vested interests of existing major mass media firms -- the press clubs.
The press clubs are organizations just like a "guild" to exclude strangers and newbies to protect vested interests and special privileges of existing members, ref.(>"'KISHA' CLUBS IN JAPAN. Press clubs: Exclusive access to, pipelines for info")
Off course, the press clubs are not complete evils. Indeed, they have both merit and demerit.
For example, it is nothing more than waste of time and chore for entities such as governmental ministries and agencies to say same matters many times repeatedly.
So it is rational and convenient for both communications and officials to aggregate persons in mass media for the sake of news releases or press conferences.
But at the same time, it is absolutely true that "water stagnated without flow is to rot." I mean "hesitation" occurs.
Namely, the press clubs are hotbeds of collusions and corruptions. They are utilized by politicians and officials for the sake of propaganda and information manipulation.
In addition, the existence of the press clubs affect relations among member news organs.
For example, when one member aims to steal a march in getting a scoop, an organizational rule checks it. If a rule is broken, others punish -- social ostracism, striking off from a list and so on.
Anyway, it is not a Japan's unique problem.
"Politics-Press Relation" issue is an almost common phenomenon around the world, ref.(>"The BBC under fire, Bashing Auntie" & "Italy and the free press, Muzzling the messengers" & "The media & Spain's government, Prisa zapped")
As the new DPJ has deprived power from the LDP, the Hatoyama administration intends to break bureaucracy-initiated politics down and reform the press club system.
But frankly say, I am pessimistic about the perspective of this challenge, ref.(>"Press club faithful fight change" & "The press and politics in Japan, Let the rising sunlight in")
It is just a intuition for every and each person or entity to want to protect vested interests and privileges.
So it is only natural that organizational defense instinct to avoid fundamental reforms and reject new comers.
Probably, the DPJ's intention to reform the press clubs won't achieve significant results as the result of anti-reform resistance from both officials and news organs.
The reason is really simple -- because both officials and communications are enjoying vested interests. So they don't want to change current convenient and comfortable conditions dramatically.
New organs that criticize vested interest and privilege themselves are conservative privileged classes.
Anyway, reform-pressure is coming not from politics but internet.
Indeed, existing paper-based major news organs are being eroded by internet and losing their profitabilities, ref.(>"Murdoch: Japan newspapers will have to charge for online content" & ""諸君！"の休刊と"横浜事件"について思う")
For the sake of survival, both news organs and the press clubs must modify themselves. Here, the problem is "how." The only god know at least for the time being.
For your ref.>Japan broadcast commission?
>Decline of conventional paper-based media
0
