With the rise of the internet and social media, audiences have realized that mainstream media is not the sole source of reporting or opinion. Amid growing threats from China and North Korea, journalism defined solely by opposition to government distorts its true mission. The true role of journalism lies in independence and free commentary rather than fighting political power.

Readers and viewers have come to realize that what MSM says is not the only opinion or form of reporting.
2018-01-14.
The following continues from the previous chapter.
Only monitoring the government?.
Hasegawa.
I believe there are two factors behind the decline of MSM’s authority.
One is that information transmitted through the internet and social media has begun to attract attention.
Readers and viewers have come to realize that what MSM says is not the only opinion or form of reporting.
Another factor is that, externally, the environment surrounding Japan has become extremely severe.
China and North Korea have begun to pose real threats to Japan.
The Japanese people are beginning to recognize this reality.
How has MSM responded to these factors?.
In particular, left-leaning journalism (Asahi, Mainichi, TBS, TV Asahi, etc.) and journalists have traditionally believed that “criticizing the government,” “monitoring the government,” or even “fighting the government is our mission.”
Takayama.
Anti-Abe, then.
Hasegawa.
I believe that is a fundamental mistake.
Why?.
Because while monitoring the government is one important mission of journalism, it is not everything.
It is only a part.
The true mission of journalism is to remain independent from the government and to report and comment freely from one’s own independent position.
This is similar to but entirely different from fighting the government.
Why?.
If fighting the government becomes the mission of journalism, then when the LDP is in power it must fight the LDP; when the Constitutional Democratic Party is in power it must fight them; and if the Communist Party comes to power it must fight them as well.
If that happens, can journalism truly possess independence and real freedom?.
It cannot.
Governments are born through the free choice of the people, but if journalism defines itself as standing in opposition to the government, it will only move in reaction to the government.
It will lose its own thinking.
It will merely shout anti-government.
That is not freedom at all.
To be continued.