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Life Onboard |
LAST UPDATE
July 12, 2005
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| October 9-17, 2003 |
Media Series – Akihiro Nonaka |
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| Akihiro Nonaka, founder of The Asia Press, one of Japan's only independent news agencies |
Akihiro Nonaka is an experienced journalist and sole founder and director of "The Asia Press", one of Japan's few independent news agencies. During his one-week with Peace Boat between Sri Lanka and Eritrea, Mr Nonaka presented a series of lectures on media literacy, prompting participants to think more critically about how they interpret the news and information they receive.
Having spent several decades traveling the globe reporting on conflicts and current affairs, Mr Nonaka has since moved into lecturing at various universities in Tokyo. His main focus however, is developing the capacity of "The Asia Press", which is a network of 30 independent journalists, to provide the Japanese public with high quality, an alternative news source to the largely homogenous corporate media. Although he believes there is no such thing as unbiased reporting and an"objective truth", Mr Nonaka is committed to the idea of covering issues with a balanced perspective. |
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| Mr Nonaka explaining what the mass media did not cover during the Iraqi wa |
In an introductory media literacy lecture, Mr Nonaka prompted the audience to think critically by explaining various methods employed by the media to create distortions or a certain effect. Using the theme of war, particularly the recent war in Iraq, Mr Nonaka gave an analysis of the Western mass media's tendency to portray news in a way deemed to generate viewer ratings. Sensationalizing stories and creating the perception of Good against Evil are two techniques traditionally used to appeal to the audience.
Repetitive screening of a particular issue also helps create a sense of drama and controversy. Mr Nonaka cited the case of when (misplaced) images of jubilant Palestinians were repeatedly flashed across TV screens, following the September 11 terrorist attacks, as an example of trying to manufacture drama for the sake of audience ratings. The hype and particularized reporting given to the "rescue" of US combatant Jessica Lynch by major US news agencies is another demonstration of how the media is controlled by its quest for viewer ratings, as well as government agendas.
Mr Nonaka illustrated another case of distortion as seen in the mass media's delivery of the fall of Saddam Hussein's statue in Baghdad. Although presented as the symbolic moment of capitulation, other news organisations later pointed out that the mass media not only exaggerated the positive reaction of the Iraqi people but also misrepresented the moment of "conquest" by the US-led forces. |
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| Stories about the lives of the People of North Korea are rare |
The glaring absence of news and stories from the perspective of civilians in Iraq and the over-abundance of information and imagery from the US-coalition viewpoint, including embedded journalists, was another point of contention that Mr Nonaka raised. This kind of unbalanced reportage demonstrates an important point to be aware of when searching for news that most accurately reflects the "reality"of the siituation.
On the question of North Korea, Mr Nonaka explained The Asia Press" desire to present information that will enable the Japanese public to understand the issue more in greater depth, and not simply get caught up in the black and white characterization of Japan as Good, and North Korea as Bad. Criticizing Japan's corporate media agencies as falling victim to the endless pursuit of increasing ratings, Mr Nonaka pointed out the need to go beyond the recycling of particular incidents and issues, such as screening dramatic footage of North Koreans seeking asylum in the Japanese Embassy in China.
Stories that focus on the abduction of Japanese people to North Korea, or the "Mangyonbon" cargo ship that establishes a controversial link Japan and North Korea can also serve to inflame negative sentiment in Japan. The timing of negative stories, repetitive coverage and sensationalism has the collective effect of focusing the public's attention on a narrow selection of "problems" and thereby diverting it from topics of importance and innovation. In the case of North Korea, this may mean for example, the daily suffering of North Korean children or the reasoning behind why Japan should actively seek peace and stability in the North East Asian region. |
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| Civil society needs to work harder to get the media to work in its favour, argues Mr Nonaka |
Nonaka and a group of supporting participants carried out a survey of the Peace Boat audience, asking whether or not Japan should seek to normalize diplomatic relations with North Korea. According to the results, the majority of people aged over 50 believed that the abduction issue needed to be solved as a condition to seeking normalization of relations. In contrast, the younger generation tended to take a more flexible approach and did not stipulate any such conditions before seeking to improve relations.
Broadening his message and moving beyond purely critical analysis, Mr Nonaka offered useful advice on how civil society can get the media to work more effectively in its favour. He stressed the need for NGOs to refrain from asking favours from news agencies to cover their stories out of a sense of duty, simply because NGOs have the image of being "community do-gooders". Rather, he urged NGOs such to become more media-savvy with their public relations efforts, and enhance their legitimacy as a voice that is as important as big business or government, so that their activities can be considered more newsworthy.
Mr Nonaka also suggested setting up intensive journalist training seminars, funded through a public-private partnership. Participants could include budding journalists from all over Asia, who would study the role of civil society and the potential news that can be sourced from NGOs and report back to the mass media about their experiences. Cooperating with experienced journalists as well as established news agencies in the "NGO literacy" programme would also offer significant benefits.
Mr Nonaka's presence onboard the ship attracted a significant following, especially from numerous young participants with a view to working in the media. One of the lasting messages that Mr Nonaka left with participants was of the need "to start a revolution from within".
In the face of the growing commercialization of the mass media, and the kow-towing of corporate media to shareholder interests, Nonaka believes the "People" have a responsibility to create the necessary change in the priorities of the media industry. By learning how to read the news more critically and making ourselves heard regarding the kind of news that we want on our television screens and in our newspapers, we take responsibility for making the media industry work for the benefit of everyone - not just the exclusive few whose power, wealth and interests can buy the news of the day. |
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