A Justice-Based Approach for New Media Policy: In the Paths of Righteousness PDF
Preview A Justice-Based Approach for New Media Policy: In the Paths of Righteousness
A JUSTICE-BASED APPROACH FOR NEW MEDIA POLICY In the Paths of Righteousness Amit M. Schejter Noam Tirosh A Justice-Based Approach for New Media Policy Amit M. Schejter • N oam Tirosh A Justice-Based Approach for New Media Policy In the Paths of Righteousness Amit M. Schejter Noam Tirosh Department of Communication Department of Communication Studies Studies Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer Sheva , Israel Beer Sheva, Israel Institute for Information Policy College of Communications Penn State University University Park , PA, USA ISBN 978-3-319-41509-3 ISBN 978-3-319-41510-9 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-41510-9 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016956543 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2 016 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Cover illustration: Modern building window © saulgranda/Getty Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland To Judy, Anat, Matan, Tamar, Iddo, Ye’ela, Ziv and Shira A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS How often do you get an opportunity not only to s ay that you are combining research with a social mission you really believe in, but actually get to do it? This book is an amalgamation of work that took place between 2012 and 2016. It brings together thoughts and ideas we developed as we were designing and conducting research under the auspices of the Learning in a Networked Society (LINKS) Israeli Center of Research Excellence (I-CORE) group that we put together in the Department of Communication Studies at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. The project is still ongoing, and we expect many works inspired by the themes of this book to emerge from research projects currently being conducted by members of the group working among the marginalized communities of Israel. This book is but a halfway sta- tion in this effort. What motivated us was our observation that we were witnessing and experiencing a missed opportunity to make contemporary media improve the position in society of those most disadvantaged. This is true regarding the majority of Western societies, so we hope that what we have to say has an international appeal; however, the examples we use and the reality we are most acquainted with and concerned by relate to Israel with its specifi c peculiarities. Indeed, while Israel is a modern and developed economy, in which the majority of inhabitants enjoy a high standard of living by Western standards, are connected to the Internet, and use contemporary media in the most sophisticated ways, we cannot help but notice those who do not equally partake in this ecosystem and are waiting on the side- lines for their voice to be heard. The research program we developed, vii viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS therefore, had a twofold goal: in addition to learning about the needs of the disadvantaged and developing a theory of media and justice that could serve as a basis for corrective public policies, it also aims to tell the story of these communities in their words when describing their information and communication needs. We are fortunate to enjoy the support of a Career Integration Grant awarded by the Marie Curie FP7 program of the European Union (Project 322207) and of the I-CORE Program of the Planning and Budgeting Committee and the Israel Science Foundation (Grant 1716/12). They have allowed us to work with a wonderful group of people, two of which we were blessed to have contribute to this work as well: our colleague Dr. Orit Ben Harush of the Queensland University of Technology oversaw and executed the statistical analysis of the digital divide in Israel, and our colleague Shula Mola, a PhD candidate in the program, conducted the research and wrote the chapter about Ethiopian immigrants. We are both grateful to them. We were lucky to run into Felicity Plester, the Publisher and Global Head of Film, Culture and Media Studies at Palgrave Macmillan, tell her about our ideas, and receive her invaluable help and support in producing this work. We are also grateful to the help from her able assistant Sophie Auld, who shepherded us through the publication process. As privileged members of the Jewish majority in Israel, we see our- selves, the things we believe in, and the mission we took as deeply rooted in our ancestral traditions. Emmanuel Levinas, one of the most infl uential and important Jewish thinkers in modern times, highlighted the strong connection between Judaism and justice. According to Levinas, the Jewish essence is about being just or, in his words: “The Justice rendered to the other, my neighbor, gives me an unsurpassable proximity to God” (Levinas, 1990, p. 18). In this light, we are most grateful to and inspired by the voiceless immigrants in the absorption centers, the dwellers of the unrecognized and demolished villages of the Negev, and those who try to make the voices and memories of the marginalized and silenced Palestinian minority heard. It is the spirit of activism of these friends, as well as their constant struggle for justice, that drives our intellectual endeavors, and we are humbled to play a small part in that struggle. Last but not least, we would like to note that our work would not have been possible, and our pursuit of introducing a theory of justice to new ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ix media studies would not have reached this point, had it not been for the help, support, and understanding of Judy and Anat. It is to them that we are indebted and most grateful, and it is to our families, therefore, that we dedicate this book. March 2016 Amit M. Schejter Noam Tirosh A A BOUT THE UTHORS Amit M. Schejter (PhD, Rutgers University) is professor and head of the Department of Communication Studies at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and codirector of the Institute for Information Policy at Penn State University. He is the author or editor of fi ve books and more than fi fty journal articles, law reviews, and book chapters in fi ve languages and is founding coeditor of the J ournal of Information Policy . Professor Schejter teaches courses on regulation, law, and policy; communication theory; media systems; and media activism. He has held senior executive positions in the media and telecommunications industry in Israel, was a member of and chaired a variety of public committees, and counseled media and tele- communication entities in Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Noam Tirosh ( PhD, Ben-Gurion University) is a lecturer in the Department of Communication Studies at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. His research focuses on the relationship between memory, media, and justice. His work has been published in journals such as M edia, Culture & Society, The Communication Review , Telecommunication Policy , Critical Studies in Media and Communications , The Information Society , and the International Journal of Media and Cultural Politics and presented at a score of research conferences and workshops worldwide. He is the recipi- ent of the Best Paper award in the student competition at the 2015 Research Conference on Communications, Information and Internet Policy (TPRC) and in 2016-17 he is serving as a visiting scholar at the Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israel Studies at Northwestern xi xii ABOUT THE AUTHORS University. A public intellectual, Tirosh often publishes opinion pieces in a variety of Israeli newspapers and Web sites and contributes to public dis- cussions in Israel. Shula Mola is a PhD candidate in the Department of Communication Studies at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. A scholar, a teacher and an activist, she holds two graduate degrees from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and is the chairperson of the Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews.
The list of books you might like
