The Media and the Crisis of Democracy in the Age of Bush-2

In this study, I demonstrate the consequences of the triumph of neoliberalism and media deregulation for democracy. I argue that the tremendous concentration of power in A democratic social order, as was conceived in eighteenth-century Europe and developed in England, France, the United States and elsewhere, requires a separation of powers so that no one institution or social force dominates the society and polity. The US Constitution, for instance, separated the political system into the executive, legislative, and judiciary so that there would be a division and balance of powers between the most important political institutions. The British and US constitutional orders provided for freedom of speech, assembly, and the press, while the media were conceived in France after the French revolution as the "Fourth Estate" to help provide checks and balances against corruption and excessive state power. Yet, democracy also requires a knowledgeable electorate that can participate in political affairs. Participatory democracy consists of the sovereignty of the people and thus government by, for, and of the people. In order for a free people to govern themselves, they must be adequately informed and able to participate in public Douglas Kellner is George Kneller Chair in the Philosophy of Education at UCLA and is author of many books on social theory, politics, history, and culture, including Television and the Crisis of Democracy; The Persia