Dictatorship and the Media

Figure 1:The leader speaks and no one else is allowed to speak out.  

Have you ever wondered what is would be like to live in a country where the government controls everything you read in the news and what you hear on TV? Do you ever wonder what it would be like to not be able to express how you feel toward your government or issues that the government deems dangerous? To live in fear of what might come to you or your family if you say something the government doesn't like. Dictators tend to use media in order to make themselves look better. This is what it is like to live under a dictatorship. 

Media for the Government
Dictators tend to use the media in order to gain the people's trust. The dictator will use propaganda in order to convince people that they are right and everyone else is wrong so people will be swayed to their side. They will control how the people see them in order to maintain your support. Adolf Hitler was in a film to show the people how good he was talking to the people. The film showed people cheering him on as he gave the speech and young and healthy children as happy as can be in the fount of the crowd (1). Hitler did this to show other countries that everything was great and working under his rule. If the dictator is shown in a light that he is charming and loved by the people. People will follow you even if they aren't sure where the leader is going. Why use the media? The dictator uses the media to frame themselves as heroes of the people and that they are making the country better for everyone. A dictator can't control what people think so they will control how people see them in order to make themselves appear better than they actually are. 

Figure 2: The media chained up by the government and not letting people hear another side of a story.

Media conflicts with the Government 
 Chances are that you, a parent, or someone else that you know read the newspaper watches the news or looks at current events online. When you do that you're exposed to many different types of sides. Well in a dictatorship you get one point of view and that is the point of view of the leader. If the government deems your topic dangerous there will be consequences to you or maybe your family. In China the government watches everything you do online. In China there was a documentary called Under the Dome that pointed out the pollution problem in China. The documentary caused a spark in conversation about pollution that the movie was taken down in two days and no one was allowed to speak of the pollution problem or movie with fear of being imprisoned. Then out of nowhere the leader of China decided that the documentary was not to be destroyed and anyone caught doing it was to be punished. It is unknown why he completely changed his mind (2). When the documentary came out it exploited in China and was the most talked about thing. The government decided it was dangerous to have this in the hands of the public so they made it illegal to have and to talk about. Then a short time later it was illegal to destroy the film or get rid of it in any way. In a dictatorship the government decides what is ok and what is too dangerous for the people to know about. 

The Media and the government go hand and hand nowadays. The government need the media in order to paint itself in a better light and convince people it's on their side. But with most people having media nowadays it helps the government mover forward little by little. 

References

(1) Petersen, K. (2013, September 24). Triumph of the Will. Retrieved May 02, 2017, from https://sites.stedwards.edu/comm4399fa2013-kpeters3/2013/09/24/triumph-of-the-will-film-art-or-nazi-propaganda/

(2)Kuhn, A. (2015, March 04). The Anti-Pollution Documentary That's Taken China By Storm. Retrieved May 02, 2017, from http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/03/04/390689033/the-anti-pollution-documentary-thats-taken-china-by-storm