4 ms·

Big media is essential for democracy? Democracy literally predates the printing press.

• bcherny 6y ago
  Yeah, that’s been the thinking at least since Lippmann’s time. If you only vote on local issues, you don’t need media to inform you since you can see it first hand. But as soon as the average citizen is expected to keep up with state, national, intl politics you need a media capable of informing them.
  • rimiform 6y ago
    What's even more interesting is that Lippman proposed a separate entity which was meant to inform the media!
• stubish 6y ago
  Before the printing press, you constructed your own media by hiring people to proclaim your message. "Criers" of various sorts predate democracy.
  • wutbrodo 6y ago
    That doesn't fit the role of media in this discussion. A crucial element is their (relative) independence. Parties to an issue that have full control over the distribution of their message is what the article is holding up as the _threat_ to traditional media (ie Elon Musk's "crier" is @elonmusk).
• ginko 6y ago
  >Democracy literally predates the printing press. Not in any form we'd recognize as modern democracy.