Perspective Politics and public radio By Masako Yamada	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
政治と公共ラジオ放送 支持政党を聞かれても、はっきりとした意見を言えない人の多い日本と異なり、アメリカでは、政治的信念は個人にとっての重要なアイデンティティーの一部だと考えられています。だから税金や寄付で成り立っている公共ラジオ放送に対する見方も、進歩的な考えを持つ人と保守的な考えを持つ人では、かなり違ってくるようです。

If one were to ask a group of Japanese the name of the political party they support, most of them would probably not be able to answer. This isn't the case in the States, where political beliefs are a critical part of one's identity. It isn't a topic that comes up only on Election Day. Whether one is a Democrat or Republican (or third party or Independent) affects many parts of a person's life.

筆者が車を運転中によく聞くラジオ局(http://www.wmht.org/)。クラシック音楽専門の公共ラジオで、補助金や個人の寄付で運営されている

A newspaper, at least one that tries to deliver objective news, should not have a political bent, but the New York Times is indeed considered liberal. In contrast, the Wall Street Journal is considered conservative. The biases are not limited to newspapers. Among TV stations, PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) is liberal and Fox News Channel is conservative. In radio, NPR (National public radio) is liberal and the Rush Limbaugh Show is conservative.

In principle the media should not be affiliated with any political parties. The three branches of government - executive, legislative and judiciary - were created so "checks and balances" would prevent a single branch from dominating. In an ideal world, the media would serve as the unofficial fourth branch of government that oversees them all. But in reality, neutral media outlets don't really exist.

I don't own a TV but I do listen to the radio when I'm in my car. The station I listen to most is a classical music station called WMHT. It's a public radio station that airs many shows produced by NPR. Now, there isn't anything Democratic or Republican about the beauty of classical music and there shouldn't be anything Democratic or Republican about a radio station that is shared by the public. However, there is a strong impression that public radio caters to liberals who are out of touch with reality. Even the concept of public radio, itself, does not appeal to conservatives.

Why would anybody be against public radio? It's because the stations are partly supported by the government. In other words, they are funded by taxpayers, including taxpayers who do not care to listen to classical music. True conservatives believe that supply and demand should dictate which programs surviｖe: The free market will decide which programs are worthy, since people (advertisers) will pay for the programs they like. Under this definition, any programs that need government help to surviｖe are not worthy of existence.

I understand how hard it can be to see a large part of your paycheck go toward taxes when you know you will never see the benefits. But I do not believe that a program or an institution that cannot support itself through customer dollars doesn't have value. If anything, I think the "non-popular" arts, the sciences and the media carry the heavy responsibility of propagating increasingly rare cultures.

Personally, I'm glad that I can listen to WMHT every day. Since the station is not funded by advertisers, I don't have to listen to commercials. Moreover, I understand that if such a classical radio station were dependent on advertisers (who, in turn, demand a large population of listeners) it would probably not surviｖe. Classical music is simply not that popular. At the same time government grants alone cannot support such radio stations, so they rely on private donors. Instead of airing commercials, they engage in fund-raising campaigns several times a year. I want public radio to surviｖe, for myself and for others, so I try and donate money. At the same time, I know that I'm indebted to the tax contributions of others.

In the end, nothing comes free. A station can be funded by corporations that air cunning commercials to entice a maximum number of listeners or it can be funded by public taxes and donations. Whether one is liberal or conservative even affects how one approaches such day-to-day issues.

Shukan ST: June 3, 2005

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