The media are supposed to check the functioning of the president, the government, the parliament and the courts, provide information and disclose wrong-doing to the public. S econdly, the media also function as a catalyst, a stimulus for the transformation into or preservation of a pluralistic and democratic society. Media diversity fosters a pluralist society. It encourages divergent views, can open eyes, create access for new politicians and challenge the status quo. Moreover, if the public do not receive balanced and accurate information about the issues under discussion, they have nothing to base their vote on.
Biased information can create an information deficit and prejudice the results of elections.
Furthermore, the media are a vital part of a market economy, providing consumers and investors with information and scrutinising corruption. T hirdly, media freedom and plurality are indications of the democratic calibre of a country, as well as of the righteousness of a nation s government. Obstruction of independent and divergent media betray a lack of openness and democratic nature of a regime. For instance, the 1995 elections in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan indicated unequivocally a relationship between procedural violations in the course of the elections and the freedom of the media to cover them. The situation in several Central Asian republics allows parallels to be drawn between the oppression of media and journalists and the authoritarian nature of governments.