What Happens to Society without Freedom of Expression - Essay Example

What happens to society without freedom of expression? Introduction Freedom of expression is the ability and right of individuals to seek, receive and impart information without any artificial or man-made barrier. In the past years, there were countless efforts made to obtain respect for the right of freedom of expression because this right is a very essential aspect of the society as violating it as well as not properly practicing it will impair the other aspects/functions of society and will also entail violating other associated rights. Freedom of expression is essential in enabling democracy to work and public participation in decision-making because citizens cannot exercise their right to vote effectively or take part in public decision-making if they do not have free access to information and ideas and are not able to express their views freely (Naik, 2003, p. 1). One can then infer the importance of exercising freedom of expression. Though the advent of new technologies like the Internet and worldwide satellite broadcasting promoted more freedom of expression, being scientific of the modern world had also enabled the emergence of threats to freedom of expression. An example is the monopoly of the global media by the powerful ones and the ones who have more access to better technologies. As globalisation and technology revolution promote as well as limit freedom of expression, it may prove important to tackle the sensitive issue on freedom of expression. This research aims to explore the idea of a society without freedom of expression and intends to seek the opinion and/or insights of key personalities, especially those in the media and communication industry, about freedom of expression and the limitations to this right. A society without freedom of expression is unimaginable nowadays. During these times that free-expression is at its peak and that technologies support and promote freedom of expression and almost made it impossible to restrict, it is very difficult to conceive what will our society be without free expression. Though it may be impossible to happen because of what we have and because of the trend in our society right now, it is still worth thinking, what will happen to our society if there is no free expression? This is an issue that is worth pondering on. Campaigns, efforts, movements and groups that promote free-expression are prevalent nowadays. What made this particular right so special that it had received so much special attention from individuals, prominent and infamous alike? Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democratic rights and freedoms (p. 1), as Naik (2003) puts it. Other rights and society functions stem from this right. Freedom of expression plays a crucial role during elections (in democratic countries) because it enables voters to be informed and make good choices. Another important function that this right plays is its role in the discovery of truth. This is the right mainly responsible for truth to be discovered and come out. Though freedom of expression can bring benefits to the society, absolute freedom of speech may not also be necessarily good. The right to freedom of expression is also subjected to limitations and restrictions. There are still ethical and legal restrictions imposed upon this right so as other rights will also not be violated and overpowered by freedom of expression. Methodology Research topics in the field of media or communication research are commonly used with semi-structured interview because of the qualitative nature of the researches made in the mentioned field. York (1998) offered a comprehensive definition of a semi-structured interview, “as one with predetermined questions with an open-ended format that are asked of all respondents in the same manner” (p. 40). The sequence of asking the guide questions or interview questions is different for each respondent. One factor that may affect the sequencing is the responses of each individual. The guide questions just ensure that the researcher will collect similar types of data from each respondent and need not be followed (in terms of format or sequence) strictly. Semi-structured interview as a qualitative research method is appropriate for the chosen topic because this research aims to delve into the idea of a society without free-expression. The responses and the data needed to discuss such issue (freedom of expression) are qualitative, thus, making semi-structured interview fit as a research method for the subject matter. Semi-structured interviewing will give the researcher more flexibility in terms of obtaining the responses/data needed to discuss fully the research topic. Sampling and Sampling Procedure Selecting the participants or respondents for the study is a delicate task for the researcher for several points must be consider. The sensitiveness and the nature of the issue as well as the aim of this research paper made the researcher to consider judgment sampling to be used in choosing the respondents for the semi-structured interview. Russell (2002) describes the process of identifying participants or respondents using the judgment sampling as setting the criteria for sampling and then the researcher will look for individuals that meet the criteria (p. 12). Since the topic of this research is about freedom of expression, the criteria that each chosen respondent should have are the following: 1) the respondent should be apt to discuss and give insights about the topic, that is, the person has a background, either have studied about rights, including freedom of expression or attended seminars with freedom of expression as the main topic or is affiliated with any organizations that promote freedom of expression; 2) in the past, the respondent/participant has openly expressed his/her views about freedom of expression, either through public media or through writing an article and/or book about the topic; 3) the individual is willing to participate, answer the guide questions and share his/her insight about the topic; and 4) they should be accessible by the researcher, that is, the researcher can contact them either through telephone or mail (postal or electronic) and can interview them personally. The last criterion is essential because it will enable the researcher to fully grasp the full insight/opinion of the respondent so as also to avoid misinterpretations. What the researcher needs are not only the answers to the guide questions but the reactions as well as the way the respondents answer each question. Observing the behaviour of the respondents will help the researcher assess the extent of involvement on the issue of each respondent. To identify individuals that will meet the mentioned criteria, the researcher will first look for representative cum participant from human rights organizations/movements. Respondents may also come from the media/communication industry. Identified respondents can be prominent media personalities as well as media personnel that are zealous about protecting and promoting respect for freedom of expression. Other participants may also be renowned ‘practitioner’ of freedom of expression like leaders of labour unions and/or activist leaders. In selecting the respondents, problems may arise such that each identified respondent may not be willing to give insights or may not be willing to participate in the research. In this case, the researcher will have contingencies but still will ensure that each industry/sector are well represented in the interview. Another point that the researcher may consider also in selecting participants, he/she must use his network (social network). That is, select respondents from those whom the researcher has a connection with, either through a common friend only, etc. This will help her/him gain higher probability of cooperation from chosen respondents. It will also be easier for the researcher to contact again the respondent if he/she encountered problems in analysing the responses of the participants. Interview Guide Contents Although the researcher does not follow a strict format in conducting the semi-structured interview, there is still a need for prepared interview questions. This will ensure that the researcher will collect similar types of data from each respondent. The interview guide need not be followed strictly but it should focus on particular aspects of the subject area to be examined. The researcher also has as much as flexibility when it comes to interview questions for he/she can revise if significant ideas arise after interviewing. The researcher can also ask follow-up questions during the interview to clarify insights and views with the respondents, to avoid misinterpretations. Though the objective of the interview is to gain the opinion or insights of each respondent, the researcher needs some control over the interview (which the interview guide provides) so that the research topic can be explored and the purpose of the study achieved. To obtain the desired data, the following questions will be asked during the interview process. Just like the concept in a semi-structured interview, the interviewer can ask these questions in any order and the interviewer may ask follow-up questions for clarifications. Asking the questions will be in a conversational manner and the interviewee may crack a joke at any point during the interview process. These are important for building rapport with the interviewee and to get honest answers from him/her. What does free-expression mean for you? When can you say that freedom of expression is being violated? Is there a limit to freedom of expression? What are the benefits of allowing and promoting freedom of expression in our society? Personally, how do you exercise your freedom of expression? How can you perceive our society without freedom of expression? As can be observed with the questions, most of them are open-ended questions. An open-ended question is a query that allows the respondent to answer the question in his/her own words, which gives the participant the feeling that they have a control over the interview. In semi-structured interview, open-ended questions provide the interviewer with greater freedom and less restriction (Kadushin, 1990, p. 184). Asking open-ended questions will also enable the respondent to share ideas and concepts that were not considered by the interviewer during the preparation of the interview questions. During the process of asking these questions also, the participant will feel that the interviewer is really interested in the topic. Site Selection and Data Collection In a paper by Arnson and Faber (2003), they had presented the following guidelines in conducting the semi-structured interview: 1) the interviewer/researcher should be aware of her/his own predispositions about the subject under study so that he/she does not focus on personal views and interests; 2) the interviewer should clarify notes with the interviewee to avoid misinterpretations; 3) the interviewer should seek disconfirming evidence of initial impressions, that is, the interviewer needs to check if there are themes that are prevalent throughout the interview process; and 4) it is essential that the interviewer to take down notes so that one can analyze the interview in an accurate manner (p. 1). The interviewer should also review these notes shortly after the interview has taken place because after a few days he/she may not remember what the notes mean (York, 1998, p. 40). Interviewing using a semi-structured approach entails acquiring or learning skills. The interviewer should avoid leading questions and check for questions that are repeated during the interview (there are some instances where though the question is constructed differently, they mean the same). There are also times that probing are necessary and that the interviewer should acquire skills with regard to this aspect. During interview, the interviewee should show genuine interest on what the participants are saying by listening closely and intently and though also asking follow-up questions. During the semi-structured interview, the interviewer will ask the prepared guide questions and he/she will encourage the interviewee to express and share his/her ideas, insights and opinions freely. The interviewer can ask follow-up questions for clarification and verification purposes. The researcher should also be ready to obtain information, ideas or concepts that may be significant but were not taken into consideration by the researcher during the premature stage of the interviewing. The researcher needs also to follow the mentioned guidelines and for the success of the semi-structured interview, it is important that there is a good rapport between the interviewer and interviewee and that the interviewee should be made comfortable, especially in expressing his/her views and ideas. The venue for the interview should also be carefully selected as ambience of the interview site and the comfort of the interviewee may have an impact on the outcome of the interview process. The place of interview should be accessible to both parties, interviewer and interviewee (with more consideration on the interviewee) and it should be somewhere both parties are comfortable with. The ambience should promote good and healthy conversation. Building interviewer-interviewee rapport is crucial because what the interviewer seeks are the opinions, views and ideas of the interviewee. Trust between the researcher and interviewee is essential. The interviewer should be assured that the responses are strictly confidential and will be used for the purpose of the research only. All responses of participants or respondents are noted and recorded. Another skill that the interviewee may also need to acquire is stenography, but it may not be necessary because there are already technologies available like recording tape, video, video cam etc. which can replace note-taking, and are better replacements, for that matter. The recorded interviews and responses will be transcribed after the interviewing part and the researcher will analyse the data afterwards. The data will be sorted and grouped accordingly. Conclusion In the conduct of a research, it is essential that the method used as well as the medium used are appropriate so that the researcher will obtain and meet his/her research objective(s). Qualitative research methods are more appropriate with topics that needed discussions of issues and involved insights and opinions. Researches on media and communication exemplify the use of semi-structured interview, as topics in this field need enough flexibility to acquire the necessary data from participants. The data for researches in this particular field are somewhat sensitive and idea- or view-oriented and focused more on the respondents, therefore, information from the respondents must be collected in a way that the full cooperation and participation as well as honesty of the participants are ensured. REFERENCES: Arnson, Katie and Melissa Faber. (2003). Open-Ended Questions in a Semi-Structured Interview. New York, USA. Bernard, Russell H. (2002). Research Methods in Anthropology: Qualitative and Quantitative Methods. Walnut Creek: AltaMira Press. Kadushin, A. (1990). The Social Work Interview. New York: Columbia University Press. Naik, Asmita. (2003). Study Guide on Freedom of Expression. Human Rights Education Associates (HREA). York, R.O. (1998). Conducting Social Work Research: An Experimental Approach. Needham Heights: Allyn and Bacon. Read More