The truth is non-partisan

German philosopher Jürgen Habermas distinguishes between the public sphere and the system. The system includes the state and market forces. In order for the public to influence government operations its voice must be heard above the voice of market forces. For Habermas, the public is a literate civil society, represented by public opinion. Public opinion is formed through critical public debate among equals, made possible by a free and open press (Habermas, 1989, p 24).

Society is a mix of three interests: work, interaction and power. Technology is used to get practical and efficient results from work. (Technology are not only mechanical but also organizational constraints.) Interaction is used to get social cooperation. Interaction may include speech or family relations, but it is also made possible by the press. Power is the ability to be free from domination. In capitalistic societies, technical interests may dominate interaction in the public sphere, thus causing an imbalance in the three interests.

Habermas's theory of universal pragmatics describes "how individuals can reflect on their language use and use rational argument to emancipate themselves from the technical interests" (Borchers, 2005, p. 77). (By using effective interaction, individuals can empower themselves and free themselves from technology. As part of interaction, Habermas lists three types of speech acts. Constatives assert the truth or falsity of something. Constatives are evaluated on the basis of truthfulness and provide evidence for a claim. Regulatives are used to influence someone else. In making a promise or issuing a command, regulatives are used to manage the interpersonal relationships in our lives. Regulatives are evaluated on the basis of appropriateness and justify statements of influence. Avowals express feelings or emotions and may be verbal and nonverbal expressions. Avowals are evaluated on the basis of their sincerity.

Judith Miller is the New York Times reporter who recently spent several months in jail for refusing to reveal her sources in revealing Valerie Plame as a CIA agent. Miller had developed a close relationship overtime with certain officials in the Bush administration, particularly Lewis (Scooter) Libby. Her stories during the build up to the Iraq war wrongly indicted the Saddam Hussein regime for having weapons of mass destruction. Habermas's theory can be applied at several levels to examine the Judith Miller situation.

Firstly, at the macro or societal level, we see how the New York Times was able to use its influence to persuade public opinion leaders to support the Bush administration in the war on Iraq. Public debate was squelched and discussion curtailed because the organization of the press (a market force) became a voice of the state, advocating for the war instead of encouraging public discussion. In this sense the three interests of society came into imbalance because interaction was supplanted by the forces of technology and power shifted toward market forces and the state and away from the public sphere.

Secondly, at the micro or individual level, Judith Miller used untruths in the form of constatives to assert the truth of the claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Through her stories (regulatives) she was able to justify her assertions of WMDs. Avowals are more difficult to identify, but are likely present in this situation where the reporter turned from unbiased observer to advocate.

Habermas asserts that the ideal communication situation requires freedom of speech. Individuals must freely be able to express their ideas. Then, all individuals must have equal access to communication channels. Finally, "the norms and obligations of society must be equally distributed" (Borchers, 2005, pp. 79-80). One group must not dominate the communication situation (as did the press in this situation). Only through an informed and vocal public can our politicians' actions truly reflect public opinion. When the press becomes subservient to the state and market forces, free discussion is curtailed.

References:

Borchers, T.A. (2005). Persuasion in the media age, 2nd edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Foer, F. (2005). The source of the trouble. New York Magazine. Retrieved November 6, 2005, from http://newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/news/media/features/9226/

Habermas, J. (1979). Communication and the evolution of society. Boston: Beacon Press.

Habermas, J. (1989). The structural transformation of the public sphere. Boston: MIT.