Awareness Instinct: Democratic vs. Authoritarian Societies

Madyson Lewellyn

m.lewellyn13@gmail.com

 

In Chapter 1 of The Elements of Journalism, Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel discusses the innate need that humans have to "know what is occurring beyond their own experience, the events over the next hill." The authors outline the concept known as the Awareness Instinct, which was coined by historian Mitchell Stephens. 

News has historically been an integral part of human culture and has existed in various forms across centuries. Humans have a burning desire for news as it dictates how we go about our days, how we interact with each other and how we dictate what we believe to be right and what is wrong. Whether it is looking at the increasing daily number of COVID-19 cases, updating on the most recent presidential debate or even catching up on the latest Bachelor news, we all have individual yearnings for news and awareness for what is happening in the world. 

Kovach and Rosenstiel speculate that as "societies became more democratic, they tended toward a pre-journalism." Like wise, as societies became more authoritarian, the sense of open communication with news began to diminish. Alongside the Awareness Instinct is the role of journalism in democratic and authoritarian societies, where news is open flowing to the public or mudded with censorship.

In the Objectivity of Role of Journalism in Democratic Societies, Tyler Sonnemaker stresses the "health of any democratic society depends greatly on the quality of information available to its citizens" and relies on news being objectively reported to citizens.  On the other hand, journalism and media coverage in authoritarian societies is heavily censored and is used to exploit the audience instead of inform. 

Outlined in Understanding the Authoritarian's Playbook: Tips for Journalists, Kevin Douglas Grant discusses the "plays" that are utilized by leaders to diminish the essence of truth in the media: weaponizing fear, targeting outsiders, undermining institutions, rewriting history and eroding the truth. As this pattern continues to be prevalent, it gives an explanation as to why people grow a certain skepticism when consuming news. 

Photo credits: globalinvestigativejournalismnetwork.org

When it comes down to the Awareness Instinct, people are more prone to have an itching desire to be informed when the news is open, free flowing and objectively reported. Jack Fuller of the Chicago Tribune puts it best: "The central purpose of journalism is to tell the truth so that people will have the information that they need to be sovereign." 

Contrasting this, people who do not have the privilege of uncensored news may not have as strong of a desire to know day-to-day news and media coverage -- resulting in a deeper animosity and diminished Awareness Instinct.