One of the most important factors that assist in the construction and stabilization of a nation is political knowledge and awareness. When a population has an inclined level of political awareness they are able to make more educated assessments of those running for office. However, in retrospect, when a population has lower levels of political knowledge then there are more instances of political dishonesty. When a state has limited freedom in the media then there is arguably a lack of political knowledge among its people which creates a threshold for political dishonesty. The restrictions put in place to regulate the media, whether that be for television or any other media outlet, are the driving forces behind limited political knowledge and awareness. When a population has low political knowledge then a doorway is created for political entities, such as a President or Prime Minister, to run for office and tailor their messages in order to get results because the citizens are uneducated. Depending on the manner in which news stories are broadcasted through television, this form of media can provide hints at the level of political honesty or dishonesty in a given country because televised media translates into a revenue stream for private and independent organizations. This essay aims to compare and contrast the nations of Mexico and Japan and how their regulations of televised media has consequated into widespread political honesty and/or dishonesty.
Although bordering one of the most influential and powerful nations in the world, Mexico remains to be a nation that has dwindled in development over time. The lack of infrastructure development in Mexico has led to minimal resources and wealth throughout the nation. These economic factors have contributed to a lack of internet access throughout the country and hindered the people's ability to live without aspects of political dishonesty. In terms of television news broadcasting, one of the most authoritative media sources in Mexico is Televisa. This media outlet embodies characteristics of dishonesty and has contributed to low levels of political knowledge in Mexico as they have manipulated the government with undisclosed agreements that permit them to broadcast and distribute essentially any news story as long as both parties profit from it in one way or another. Broadcasting networks, such as Televisa in this instance, tempt the government with appealing offers and sway them into passing illegitimate laws with the aim of acquiring protection from any backlash. In light of the mutual agreement between Televisa and the Mexican government, Televisa contributes partially to a 94% monopolization of all commercial television frequencies in Mexico only resulting as a major influence in all political awareness and knowledge (The Guardian). Some may question whether or not the people of Mexico are aware of what is going and the answer is simple; yes. The majority of people voice their disbelief in Televisa and the content they produce making it apparent that they aware of the political dishonesty. Although feasibly this would be enough to fight back against the broadcasting giants, Televisa does not need to operate in favor of the public because they solely prioritize the Mexican government as their main audience and revenue stream.
It is simple to understand that the issue of political honesty versus dishonesty is a hot topic in regards to regulations on television broadcasting in Mexico. A few years ago in 2007, the Supreme Court ignited the “Ley Televisa” law which bestowed the privilege of permanent paramount rights over more recent competitors with the agreement to remain absent from political affair topics (Madrazo, 2013). In Mexico, both broadcasting organizations and political entities work parallel to each other solely fueled by the self interest of making money. The elements of greed and personal gain only further comment on the reality of political dishonesty in Mexico, which is ordinarily displayed. In order to support television news broadcasting, the presence of advertising is widespread and highly supported because it is the direct financial backing behind the networks. When analyzing rules and regulations surrounding television broadcasting in Mexico, there are many factors that are both addressed and undisclosed. A common rule of thumb that goes undisclosed is the idea of respecting a nation's political leader. The patience a government then faces in regards to televised news directly stems from how neurotic broadcast outlets are towards political transgressions (‘The Media’). Beginning in the late 20th-century, the public's understanding of this topic of political dishonesty became much more apparent and raised questions of major disapproval toward the unethical relationship between televised news broadcasting and political entities.
Stretching across the globe, Japan’s television broadcasting network withholds lower levels of political dishonesty which has been a culmination of an intricate history that has favored the public. In the 1950s, a law was passed which permitted broadcasting networks to have an unconstrained and independent relationship with the government, however, they must still abide by the caveat of remaining unbiased and neutral regarding political subjects. This relationship benefits both parties by granting freedom to the television broadcasting industry to inform the public however they see fit while protecting the government from subjects that can influence the political manner of the nation. The laws are called “The Three Radio Wave Laws”. The magnitude of these laws serve as a pedestal for the television broadcasting industry because roughly 95% of the population in Japan receives their information from the television (‘Japan Press, Media, TV, Radio, Newspapers).
Japan has a unique public broadcasting system, NHK (Nippon-Hoso-Kyokai), which operates independently from the Japanese government. The aspect that makes NHK unique in contrast to broadcasting networks such as Televisa in Mexico is that they garner funds solely from their subscribers opposed to funds allocated by the government. Although independent, NHK has still faced direct and indirect competition from public and private broadcasters alike. With soaring competition to be Japan’s top ranked public broadcaster, NHK managed to outmatch all its competition due to the general public's trust in the organization. With such remarkable trust comes comments and indications towards the general level of honesty among the nation and it is evident that the degree of political dishonesty in Japan is extremely low. In addition to being independent from the Japanese government, NHK also operates much differently than Televisa in Mexico. Televised media in Mexico often is ridiculed with plentiful advertisements which only increases the gap between actually receiving viable information and unnecessary news. Contrasting Televisa, NHK news is broadcasted with the absence of all advertisements. Some may argue that commercial breaks in turn provide a break for the viewer, however, in order to combat this NHK implements “domestic topics” which consist of pleasure based stories that serve as a break for the viewer (Pharr, Susan, Krauss, 1996). By doing this, NHK has been able to acquire the utmost trust from the Japanese people because they are operating in a manner which informs the public and does not stray away from important news with nonessential additives. The formal structure that the broadcasting giants embody conveys information in a genuine and honesty fashion, opposed to that of Televisa in Mexico. Furthermore, this formal structure also comments on the reinforced nature that NHK serves the people and delivers information directly opposed to only poking at a subject which makes room for political dishonesty to transpire.
In an overall assessment comparing and contrasting the two nations of Mexico and Japan, it is evident that there are more dissimilarities between the two than alike attributes. It is simple to suggest that a state’s degree of political dishonesty is a direct correlation of varying factors such as political agenda, economy and education. Education, perhaps, plays one of the biggest roles when assessing the political honesty versus dishonesty in a nation. For instance, in Mexico there are much lower levels of literacy capabilities than to Japan, which directly translates in a population's inability to obtain credible news with ease. When being force fed uncredible information from television broadcasting outlets, such as Televisa, it is much easier to make uneducated assumptions and assessments about political entities and their campaigns which can send a population into a never ending realm of political dishonesty. In contrast, Japan has high literacy levels and also implements a broadcasting system that implements few regulations. By doing this, Japan is able to educate the public in a genuine and honest fashion which only increases the nation's level of political awareness. In the essence of televised news, the manner in which this news is broadcasted transparently indicates whether or not a nation embodies political honesty or dishonesty because it unveils the relationship these networks have with the government. Televised news broadcasting can be used as a powerful, yet dangerous, instrument for a nation and its abilities to convey news to the public. With the absence of a two-way relationships between governments and televised broadcasting networks then a nation is likely to fall subject to political dishonesty because of the lack of education being provided to the public.