Ideal Form
Mediated deliberation follows the conception of a deliberative democracy. According to Jürgen Habermas, a German philosopher, "no modern political process could function effectively without the "professionals of the media system" and the various elites who produce mediated political communication." This ideal mediated deliberation would:
to mobilize and pool relevant issues and required information, and to specify interpretations; to process such contributions discursively by means of proper arguments for and against; and to generate rationally motivated yes and no attitudes that are expected to determine the outcome of procedurally correct decisions.
Through this ideal model, mediated deliberation should promote public knowledge on important issues as well as encouraging public opinion through enlightenment.
To achieve an effective mediated deliberation, it requires collective responsibility from the media producers, including newspapers, television broadcasters, and the internet. The media needs to reliable because many people gain information and knowledge about events and issues. Robert Goodwin, a philosopher, described the idea of "deliberation within" which is the deliberation that occurs in an individual's mind. "The point in having a deliberative media process is for individuals to hear conflicting considerations and weigh them to arrive at their own judgments." Through the analytic and social processes of deliberation, the table shows the roles that the media producers and media users need to fulfill in order for the ideal, mediated deliberation to occur. In the analytic process, it involves introspection on subjective values while reflecting on personal and emotional experiences with facts. The following tables are copyrighted © 2008 by Sage Publications, Inc from John Gastil’s book, Political Communication and Deliberation.
Analytic Process
| Media Producers | Media Users | |
|---|---|---|
| Create a solid information base. | Present media users with a broad base of background information by reporting extensively on important issues. | Seek out opportunities to learn of others' experiences and relevant expert analysis. |
| Prioritize the key values at stake. | Explore the underlying public concerns behind the surface facts and events that define an issue. | Consider the diverse concerns underlying issues and how others prioritize issues differently. |
| Identify a broad range of solutions. | Present the broadest possible range of solutions to problems, including nongovernmental and unpopular ones. | Learn about how people like or unlike yourself think about addressing a problem. |
| Weigh the pros, cons, and trade-offs among solutions. | Report different viewpoints but do more than juxtapose them; subject them to careful scrutiny. | Reassess your biases favoring or opposing different solutions by seeing how others weigh pros and cons. |
| Make the best decision possible. | Make recommendations but keep editorial content distinct from news; leave the decision to the media user. | Take responsibility for making up your own mind after listening to the advice of experts, partisans, and others. |
Along with the analytic process, the social process involves more equal access and comprehension while considering other diverse points of view.
Social Process
| Medial Producers | Media Users | |
|---|---|---|
| Adequately distribute speaking opportunities. | Use diverse sourcing, invite diverse guests with different ways of speaking, and reach beyond conventional debates. | Make time to listen to sources with views different from your own. Add your own voice when appropriate. |
| Ensure mutual comprehension. | Make news and information understandable for readers; prose should be accessible to the audience. | When you cannot understand an issue or argument, seek clarification from others. |
| Consider other ideas and experiences. | Take arguments from all perspectives seriously. | When hearing different views, avoid tuning out or ruminating on counterarguments before considering what is said. |
| Respect other participants. | Model respect for different views; treat readers with respect by making news serious but engaging | Give the benefit of the doubt to sources but demand better behavior from those who violate your trust |
The analytic and social processes for mediated deliberation gives people the opportunity to evaluate the actions of media producers as well as their users.
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