A rchive Date
[ 04-07-2002 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ Mass Media ]
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[http://www.canoe.ca/CNEWSScience0207/03_suzuki-can.html
Protesters' message lost on the media
By DAVID SUZUKI -- CNEWS Science
Wednesday, July 3, 2002
When thousands of citizens marched down the streets of Calgary last week to protest the meeting of leaders from eight of the world's wealthiest nations, they were largely portrayed in the media as wacko hippies. Yet at the same time, one of the largest corporate scandals in history was taking place. Why didn't the media pick up on the connection?
Granted, it's hard for many people to feel connected to young protesters rolling in mud and dressing in funny costumes. But it's equally hard to feel a connection to a bunch of world leaders in pricey business suits, wearing cowboy hats. As a result, most people didn't know what to think about the G8 Summit or why they should care.
We should care. The protesters were concerned about the creep of corporate influence into the public sphere, including national and international policies. They are worried that regulations to protect the public and the environment are being dumbed down to the lowest common denominator to appeal to corporate interests.
Such concerns are certainly justified, as corporate power and influence has never been greater. Look at the media. This spring, newspapers across Canada became embroiled in a conflict where the owner of the country's largest chain, not the editors of the newspapers who actually live and work in the local communities, decided what stance editorials would take on certain issues.
In the television media, corporate concentration means that those who "own" what the public gets to see as news also own the products that are advertised. Why has the "top-grossing movie" of any given weekend become a top news story? Could it be because the same companies that own the movie studios own the networks?
Or look at government. More and more, governments are partnering with corporations, providing funding, research and allowing them to police themselves. For example, the goal of Agriculture Canada is not just to protect Canada's food supply, but also to promote the biotechnology industry. Likewise, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans' role has been expanded to promote industrial salmon farming. The conflict of interest is obvious, but the government has done nothing to correct the situation.
Unlike governments, corporations are not democratic and not charged with advancing the public good. Instead, they exist to maximize profit for shareholders - sometimes at the cost of honesty. Just last week, the giant company Worldcom imploded under allegations of a $4 billion accounting scam. Far from being a rare occurrence, such scandals are becoming commonplace. From Enron to Dynegy to Adelphia, corporations are proving that they shouldn't be trusted, and indeed some are downright rotten to the core. Where were the government regulators and the auditors in these scandals? These were public companies and in some cases people's pensions depended on them. Yet the size and scope of the scandals indicates that regulators turned a blind eye to the problems or were prevented from taking action.
Science is not immune from corporate influence either. In the emerging field of bioethics, where experts examine new ethical problems arising in science and medicine, controversies have arisen about how bioethicists receive their funding and how much of this information must be disclosed. Likewise, medical doctors are actively pursued with gifts from pharmaceutical companies to get them to prescribe particular medications. The very nature of scientific research has changed as corporations with an eye on potential profits, and not governments, are deciding which projects get funding. As a result, research that could have broader benefits other than profit does not receive the attention it deserves.
We are being asked to put more and more faith in corporations, letting them police themselves and decide society's priorities. But the corporate good and the common good are not necessarily the same thing. That's why the protesters were in Calgary. Unfortunately, it's a message that got lost amidst the face paint and the drumming. It's a problem of communication on the part of the protesters, but also on the part of the media who didn't bother to look any deeper.
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
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