A bit of hope in TANs

In Taking the state out of state-media relations theory: how transnational advocacy networks are changing the press-state dynamic, Sean Aday and Steven Livington describe how non-state actors are exercising a certain level of influence in media. According to them, media are now less dependent on the state's news agenda to cover issues, thanks to transnational advocacy networks (TANs) and epistemic communities (groups that have expertise in specific subjects).

I was glad to read about this shift. When I was working as a journalist back home, I began to notice how sometimes we didn't even pay attention to official communications. It WAS the non-governmental organizations that set the news agenda on controversial issues. Ours was a smaller, non mainstream newspaper, but even the mainstream media followed along sometimes. If Sierra Club's Puerto Rican chapter called for a news conference you would see some of the most important journalists covering the event. SCPR and Casa Pueblo, a grassroots environmental organization, have set the pace for news coverage of a very controversial gas pipeline project.

I think this is good news. Getting out the government's framing of issues (whether they show all their sides or not) is a great development for the general public. More points of view, and from knowledgeable experts instead of politicians, can only be beneficial. However, for journalists, there's a concern that might arise. They should not rely on just reporting what the government says versus what TANs say, but there's a risk that they might become dependent on whatever information those actors give them. It's better than just being dependent on the state, but it's not good journalism.