公共服务媒体、共和民主论与“假新闻”

Public Service Media,Republic Democracy and “Fake News”

"公共服务广电"创设将近百年,挺住私有化浪潮的挑战,并且善用数字融合的趋势,晋身成为"公共服务媒体",经由各种平台,向受众提供符合经济效益的文化与民主政治服务。本文对比欧洲与美国,指出遵循"共和民主论"的公服媒体旨在追求公共之善,因此尽量兼容并蓄而让不同意见现身,至今在欧洲举足轻重,维系社会与媒体信任于合理水平,因此较能抑制,且能监督政商运作,使其减少腐化。美国欠缺公服传媒,强调我群认同的自由多元媒体各行其是,社交媒体兴起后,人以群分的现象更见明显,对于他者的批评演变为"假新闻"的标签,社会分裂与信任每况愈下。欧洲政府支持公服传媒,固然有历史的路径依附成分,同等或更重要的是,它符合资本体制中较进步的民主共和价值;表面上,公服传媒力求兼顾政府与社会、公会与工会,以及在地与国际的表意需要,究其实,它偏向前者。在美国,有识者历来广为呼吁并采取行动,试图壮大公服传媒,唯多数媒介兴革的见解,偏向采取以科技治科技的思考,遂使诉求制度变化的振兴公服传媒之倡议,尚未得到政治系统的认真对待。

Public service broadcasting was created in 1920 s,not only has it survived the onslaught of privatizing forces since the 1980 s,it has,by making effective uses of digital gadgets,during the past two decades up-graded itself into‘public service media＇（PSM）and has provided valuable services to meet citizens＇ cultural and democratic demands economically.PSM has a mandate to fulfill requirements of a republic theory of democracy and aims to be as inclusive as possible.Up to the present day,PSM in many European countries still commands a substantial market share and maintains media trust at a reasonable level.PSM has accordingly contributed to keeping the society from going extremes,and helping to make the government and the business more accountable.Without a strong PSM,the US mainstream media has putatively become more partisan and less trustworthy,which is reinforced with the ascendency of social media,and the society moves toward a polarizing direction to such an extent that others＇ critics is now labeled as＂fake＂news.A historical path-dependence logic explains partially why PSM has received wider support from European governments,an equally or more significant reason is that PSM essentially caters to republic values a more advanced capitalist democracy requires.PSM claims to have made balances between the capital and the labour,the state and the society,and the local and the international,while in the last instances,it＇s the former that prevails.Recognizing this value,there have been arguments and campaigns trying to strengthen PSM in the US over the years,which however is less visible as more reformers have proposed that technological solutions to media malaise can be found and should be tried as a prior option.