Civic Education in contemporary society, has empowered and educated citizens on their rights, responsibilities, and duties in political and governance processes. Through Civic Education, citizens are able to understand why and how they can participate and influence governance and political outcomes, which improves the level of governance.
Societies in the world today have transitioned from Monarchy/Dictatorship forms of governance to Democratic Societies. This brings the need to have Civic Education so that citizens can be aware of their role and influence in the type of governance that they desire. Media has played a crucial role in ensuring the success of Civic Education, especially in the African Continent, as it is expeditiously growing even into the rural areas, thus ensuring this information is far-reaching. Media has played the following roles:
Public Education and Awareness
Citizens have been educated on their rights, responsibilities, and duties in politics and governance, not just in the urban areas, but also in the rural areas. Media channels like Podcasts have become a bridge, connecting citizens to Civic Education, civil society associations, and politics and governance. Media has many tools in which information can be delivered and thus it is far-reaching. Besides, recordings of completed political forums and podcasts can be found in the internet to continue informing those who were not able to attend physically or in time.
Journalists on Duty| Photo| Courtesy| Femi Adebesin-Kuti
The Watchdog Role
Media monitors the performance and conduct of current governments, to gauge whether or not they are delivering as promised in their manifestos. Moreover, media evaluates whether these regimes are meeting the expectations of the people who put them in power, thus ensuring that governments are careful to deliver realistic and achievable goals in their manifesto. However, as much as this role has been beneficial, especially to the citizens, it has been a source of conflict between the government and the media, prompting some governments to harass the media and even enforce strict regulations on them.
Social Change
Media has played a crucial role in changing the mindsets, attitudes, and beliefs of people concerning politics and government. For example, traditionally, especially in Africa, politics and government were stereotyped as issues to be handled and decided only by men. However, as the media disseminates information and educates on women’s rights, society has shifted to not only involve women but also the youth in politics and government. Media has significantly brought social change as minorities in the society have found a platform to express their opinions and struggles, consequently enabling them to be represented in government. Through media reporting, citizens are aware of how government activities affect their standard of living, thus they can decide what type of government they would like and the processes they can follow to impeach leaders who are not acting in the interest of the people.
Shaping Public Opinion and Attitudes
Issues and developments in governance are brought to the limelight through media reporting, clearly displaying the negative and positive effects it has on citizens. This brings about debates and critical thinking among the citizens and government thus influencing public opinion and attitudes on specific issues. In addition, the media has provided a platform for public debate and dialogue on issues concerning politics and governance.
Actualizing Political Rights
Media actualizes political rights; access to information, freedom of association, and freedom of expression. Through the media, citizens have been able to express their views and access other people’s opinions and information regarding politics and governance.
As the media undertakes these roles, more people are likely to be fully involved in future elections. Despite media being a lucrative tool in civic education, it has had some challenges and flaws especially in the political and governance subject. These are:
Video propagating hate against Opposition Leader Raila Odinga |Photo| Simon Maina
Misinformation and Disinformation by the media, mostly during election periods, is a major flaw in the system. People have extensively misused media as it is easy and fast to fabricate and distribute. Media, especially in the campaigning period, has been used as a tool to propagate hate speech, ethnic clashes and negative propaganda among opposing parties. For example, in the 2008 post-election violence in Kenya, vernacular media was the main tool that was used to propagate violence between the opposing parties, which was mainly grounded on ethnic differences (BBC World Service Trust, 2008). In addition, Rwanda is also a victim of misuse of media in the 1994 Genocide where media was used to propagate conflict based on ethnic grounds (Tasamba, 2021). Further, one can do this without fear of apprehension as media platforms enable anonymity. Extensive use of media poses a challenge in coming elections due to fear of disinformation which may bring about violence.
Media Stations, Journalists and content creators have been threatened, by powerful government officials, when they broadcast negative news about the government. For example, in 2023, Minister Moses Kuria was recorded making remarks and threats of economic sanctions against Nation Media Group as they uncovered a corruption scheme in his ministry at the time. Media personalities and crew face harassment from the government through the Police when they are arrested and their equipment confiscated.
Regulation of media freedom by restricting them on news that can and cannot be disseminated to the Public. Most citizens trust the media and thus the government may regulate the information being brought to the public to avoid uproar and unrest. Besides, not all political actors/Government Officials support democracy and thus may impose regulations based on their interests.
Political unrest poses a challenge to media personnel as their lives are put at risk when broadcasting live events. For example during the riots ‘Maandamano’ in 2023 in Kenya, various media personnel were injured and their equipment was vandalized by the police.
Journalist running during political unrest| Photo| Courtesy| Yvonne Sasha
In conclusion, despite the challenges faced by the media, it is still needed to push civic education to every part of the world. This will ensure that future generations are well-informed and educated to choose the government that best attends to their needs. We only need to make a call for change in society to stop misusing media.
References
BBC World Service Trust. (2008). Kenya’s Violence. Were Media to Blame?, 17.
Tasamba, J. (2021). Experts Reflect on Role of Media in the Rwandan Genocide.