From the beginning of the 19th century, when mass media, newspapers, and journalism emerged, all social fields from politics and culture to art and sports were influenced by this amazing phenomenon and found a new path towards progress and, in some cases, reached glory.

Politics may have become entangled with journalism more than any other field, to the extent that political scientists have referred to it as the “fourth pillar of democracy,” and it has been since the time when media and journalism found a unique and influential position.

Newspapers have taken control of public opinion and politicians have realized that without their support, they will never be able to achieve their goals and ideals. They have also come to understand that they are constantly being monitored and are obligated to be accountable, without any escape from the critical eye of the analysts.

In continuation of this process, responding to a duty became the responsibility of the rulers, and on the other hand, the duty of journalists became to ask questions from all citizens of different backgrounds; questions that even if the politicians were not willing, they were forced to answer. In this enlightening challenge, if they gave incorrect answers to their questions, they would face even bigger problems and their conditions would be in danger, to the point that a newspaper could bring down a government or regime.

In such a situation, “transparency” has become a factor for media credibility and media transparency has led to an increase in the level of audience awareness and, of course, the credibility of newspapers and journalists.

With the advent of the communication era and the rapid connection of this era with the digital age, no event can be hidden anymore, so that even the least valuable news reaches from this side of the world to the other with the blink of an eye.

As a result, society and citizens have become more questioning than ever before, and the main way they ask their questions is through the channels of media and newspapers, which have more credibility than their competitors. There is no doubt that the media plays the most important role in improving the level of response from the government.

At the beginning of the 20th century and after the end of World War II, one of the most important events and achievements of human society, the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, was celebrated and in a short time became a global ritual; a completely human, benevolent and just ritual that brought billions of people together to build human dignity in the modern era into a “law”; a law that any violation of it has legal and judicial consequences, and the true and real followers of this law stood in the ranks of noble humans to be able to stand against the lawbreakers and violators of this admirable ritual who have not tasted the scent of nobility, and to be able to protect and preserve the rights of oppressed humans who are being oppressed by tyrants in the most remote corners of the world.

“In this challenging, dangerous, threatening, and sometimes criminal battle, the duty of playing a role, communicating, directing, exposing, supporting, and aiding in the realization of human goals and the promotion of “human rights” was entrusted to the media. Indeed, many independent, professional, and conscientious media outlets, as well as brave and dedicated journalists, stood at the forefront in exposing and highlighting repeated violations of human rights, even in the most remote and deprived areas of the world. They have paid heavy costs, from sacrificing their lives to being arrested, put in solitary confinement, tortured, subjected to violence, and imprisoned for long periods of time, in order to continue this human mission.”

“Another era has passed where oppressive governments and tyrannical leaders could constantly cover up their human rights violations and crimes. With the efforts of the media, they can no longer present a facade of a democratic government to the world. With the careful monitoring of the media, the era of regimes that continue their inhumane existence through the use of an “iron curtain”, censorship, and violence has come to an end. In today’s modern world, armed oppressors can no longer hide behind their killing machines, as the awareness brought by responsible media has closed off all escape routes for such governments through a barrier of free flow of information.”

The right to receive answers and hold the government accountable has become an undeniable right in modern societies, and informed citizens pursue this demand through various media, including audio, visual, and written means. They do not give up on their reasonable demands until they reach the point of “holding governments and rulers accountable.”

The wise rulers have realized that they cannot stop the free flow of news in any way. They have come to the conclusion that in order to sustain their governments, they need reliable and committed media, and for this reason, they have no choice but to be honest, transparent, law-abiding, and accountable.

But still, there are few regimes in the world today with medieval nature that continue their “oppressive life” and a large part of those regimes have received that if they continue to move in the same old path, they will have no choice but to surrender to the media and fulfill the demands of the nations.

If this submission and approval is done in a cooperative and purposeful manner to bring order to the destruction caused by these governments and with humanitarian intentions, it will be possible to change course from the previous wrong path to the right path. Otherwise, if it continues to be stubborn like in the past – amidst the flood of media enlightenment and awareness on one side, and the accumulation of numerous demands and violated rights of citizens on the other – it is these governments that will drown.