系统论视野中法律与大众媒体的关系

法律与大众媒体的关系问题是全面推进依法治国背景下重要的理论问题和实践问题,但目前尚未形成有说服力的结论。若过分强调两者的分立可能导致新闻管制或媒体权力滥用,若过于强调两者的融合则可能影响司法公正。在系统论视野下,法律与大众媒体具有同质性,两者分别按照各自的纲要分配自身所特有的符码,各自建构具有不同意义的“事实”及其评价。法律与大众媒体作为独立运作的功能子系统,彼此之间既非分立也非融合,而是存在不可避免的激扰关系,且部分激扰关系被结构化并以“论题”的形式构成“结构耦合”关系。因此,法律只有立足于自身,坚守司法公正并不断实现司法统一,才有可能既保障新闻自由又能抵御大众媒体中各类论题与意见的冲击,才有可能稳定社会成员普遍的规范性行为预期。

The Relationship Between Law and Mass Media from the Perspective of the System Theory

The relationship between the law and the mass media is an important theoretical and practical issue which has not yet reached convincing conclusions under the background of comprehensively promoting the rule of law.Too much emphasis on the separation of the two may lead to news blackout or abuse of media,and too much emphasis on the integration of the two may affect judicial fairness.From the perspective of system theory,the law and the mass media are homogeneous.They allocate their own unique codes according to their respective programs,and respectively construct different meaningful“facts”and assessments.As independent functional subsystems,the law and the mass media are neither separate nor integrated with each other,but have an inevitable irritative relationship.Part of the relationship is structured as a kind of“structural coupling”relationship in the form of“theme”.Therefore,only by standing on its own,upholding judicial fairness and realizing judicial unification,can the law not only protect the freedom of the mass media but also resist the impact of various themes and opinions in the mass media,and stabilize the generalized normative behavior expectations of social members.