The Investigations

Democracy and the media: Do they need each other?

In researching the place of the media in a democracy, and the factors that influence it, you will consider the issue from a variety of perspectives. You may choose to explore some or all of these perspectives, or your teacher may decide to have different groups of students take responsibility for researching different perspectives. During your exploration of the perspectives you will be required to identify information sources, collect and analyse data and information, and report on your findings. The intention, however, is to ensure that you gather enough information to formulate your media policy at the conclusion of the unit, and can contribute to a class activity on the future of the media in democracies. The following perspectives are available for exploration:

• Investigation 1: Does the media need democracy?: A high price to pay for the truth
• Investigation 2: Who owns the media?: Media ownership and influence
• Investigation 3: Wow! Did that really happen?: Trust and the media
• Investigation 4: Restricting free speech: Political control of the media

Introduction | Introductory activity | The Investigations | Investigation 1 | Investigation 2 | Investigation 3 | Investigation 4 | Investigation 4 Issue 1 | Investigation 4 Issue 2