Date of Award
Spring 2020
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Media & Communication; College of Arts & Sciences
First Advisor
Dr. Lisa Holderman
Second Advisor
Dr. Michael Dwyer
Third Advisor
Professor Roland Adjovi
Abstract
Jürgen Habermas, a German theorist, coined the public sphere as a place where citizens could interact, study, and debate issues together outside the realm of the home or family, which was defined as the private sphere. The public sphere can also be seen as a “manifestation of citizen sovereignty”. At its core, Habermas centered the public sphere around feudalism and the shift of one all-powerful individual reigning and representing the public to those citizens under the control of the state. Some critics argue voices encouraging the minorities were actually private voices leaking into the public sphere, while others argue the shift in digital media and political climates contribute to complications in achieving Habermas’s true public sphere. In today’s modern era, the public sphere can be manifested through citizen journalism and independent media sources, especially on the Internet.
The debate between the power and weight of the public sphere, or the public’s right to know, and the government’s claims to protect national security has been rampant as more leakers and whistleblowers share information. I use the Habermasian theory of the public sphere to gain insight into three case studies: the Pentagon Papers, Edward Snowden’s leaks about the U.S. National Security Agency, and Julian Assange’s whistleblowing website, WikiLeaks. Ultimately, the public sphere allows for the media and the citizenry to hold their governments accountable for wrongdoings.
Recommended Citation
Murray, Mary, "Habermas, the Public Sphere, and WikiLeaks: The Public Sphere and the Right to Know" (2020). Capstone Showcase. 2.
https://scholarworks.arcadia.edu/showcase/2020/media_communication/2
Included in
Critical and Cultural Studies Commons, International and Intercultural Communication Commons, Journalism Studies Commons, Mass Communication Commons, Other Film and Media Studies Commons, Social Influence and Political Communication Commons
Habermas, the Public Sphere, and WikiLeaks: The Public Sphere and the Right to Know
Jürgen Habermas, a German theorist, coined the public sphere as a place where citizens could interact, study, and debate issues together outside the realm of the home or family, which was defined as the private sphere. The public sphere can also be seen as a “manifestation of citizen sovereignty”. At its core, Habermas centered the public sphere around feudalism and the shift of one all-powerful individual reigning and representing the public to those citizens under the control of the state. Some critics argue voices encouraging the minorities were actually private voices leaking into the public sphere, while others argue the shift in digital media and political climates contribute to complications in achieving Habermas’s true public sphere. In today’s modern era, the public sphere can be manifested through citizen journalism and independent media sources, especially on the Internet.
The debate between the power and weight of the public sphere, or the public’s right to know, and the government’s claims to protect national security has been rampant as more leakers and whistleblowers share information. I use the Habermasian theory of the public sphere to gain insight into three case studies: the Pentagon Papers, Edward Snowden’s leaks about the U.S. National Security Agency, and Julian Assange’s whistleblowing website, WikiLeaks. Ultimately, the public sphere allows for the media and the citizenry to hold their governments accountable for wrongdoings.