Interdisciplinary group dissects and critiques how media drives the US cultural agenda
More than 40 people convened online last month to discuss how culture, society, and media coexist with democracy in the United States (US).
The town hall-style meeting took place as part of Salzburg Global Seminar’s latest American Studies program, The President, The Press and the People.
Terron Ferguson, program director at Salzburg Global, opened the program by revealing the results of a recent survey taken by Fellows.
The survey questioned whose public voice in the United States drives culture, sets the agenda, and determines narratives. In addition, Fellows looked at which voice is most responsible for cultural fault lines, phenomena, and trends. Optional answers included the president, the press, or the people. In all cases, respondents typically pointed toward the press. As part of the survey, Fellows also considered whether the media accurately presents stories on US culture, to which 90 percent said “No.”
This result provided a perfect segue as Fellows then heard from guest speaker Susan Neiman, director of the Einstein Forum. The moral philosopher remarked the latter question is too broad to be answered in a “Yes” or “No” fashion, given how divided US media sources are. The term “media” must be more precisely defined, as, in some cases, we don’t know which media we are talking about, and consumers don’t always look for the primary sources.
In the following question and answer segment, Neiman explained learning another language, getting the full scope of a news story, and comparing different media and cultures is central to a well-rounded education. Reading news sources in other languages will tell you more about the United States because it’s only when we’re confronted with how different cultures look at the world that we understand our assumptions and the ones we grew up with.
Neiman also suggested the US implement a small television and radio tax, which could get citizens out of the habit of thinking of news as a commodity. It would be a cultural shift if citizens began to recognize news media’s crucial role in democracy and accepted providing financial support through taxes.
In an experiential learning and simulation activity, Fellows thought deeply on the question of which media-covered cultural issue is the biggest threat to US democracy: critical race theory, US foreign policy, populism on both the right and the left, the rise of social media, or distrust in the public health community.
Each issue was available to discuss further in a breakout room. The challenge for Fellows was to work together to define the cultural issue, articulate why this issue is the biggest threat to US democracy, and brainstorm a potential solution. Fellows had 15 minutes to complete the activity before reconvening and reporting on their discussed perspective.
Several Fellows argued for social media as the greatest threat to US democracy. They defined social media as an echo chamber. Today’s technology has allowed information to be manipulated and led to a decline in truth and accountability. As a result, people enter a comfort zone because their desires and emotions feed off subjective opinions. Fellows discussed having international standards and regulations to prevent further the proliferation of misinformation. They also said social media platforms shouldn’t run based on profit but rather in the name of public interest.
The group assessing critical race theory defined it as being under attack, both legislatively and in the public eye. For example, in higher education and at the K-12 level, there is a push to remove critical race theory from the syllabus. Fellows suggested if educators can’t teach critical race theory, educators then become prohibited from using certain words in the classroom to describe the history of issues around race in the country. It signals an attempt to rewrite history and move the United States backward. Fellows suggested a need to help people better understand what critical race theory is and define it in relation to racism.
Those who decided the rise of populism from the right and left were the most significant threat recognized there is no simple definition of populism, but rather expressions and different reactions to populism. In the United States, it’s the causes of populism, such as poverty and the fact that some groups feel excluded, that truly point to the issue at hand. This is why some leaders can work against institutions of democracy in their own countries. Their proposed solution involved fighting against poverty in some countries through educational initiatives.
The online program closed with Fellows having the chance to stay online and participate in a “parking lot” open discussion with Susan Neiman. It was a further opportunity to engage and reflect on the topic ahead of the next town hall meeting on September 4, 2021, which will cover US politics’ relationship with democracy.
