| The Oceana Beacon | |
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 The Oceana Beacon | |
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Type |
Online newspaper |
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Format |
Compact, online |
|
Editor |
Jani Helle |
|
Founded |
June 18, 2011 |
|
Headquarters |
Glaschu, Oceana |
|
Website |
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The Oceana Beacon is the main newspaper of Oceana. It operates on a Social Responsibility model, and is funded by taxpayer money.
The newspaper is edited and run by the Press Secretary as Editor-in-Chief, along with deputies confirmed by Parliament, and other staff.
Media in the Kingdom of Oceana[]
The history of the media industry in Oceana has been tumoultous.
Under the monarchs of Oceana, the media had been severely censored and controlled by the Crown. Independent media organizations can not be considered as having been allowed to operate freely for most of the history of Oceana. This changed in 1991, when King Tiervan loosened the rules on private media. Fourteen media organizations sprung up between 1992 and 2001, consisting of four television stations and ten newspapers (The Oceana Beacon, The Islander, Oceana Today, Oceana Free Press, The Chronicle, Oceana Watchmen, Crown Post, Public Voice, New Life, and The Journal of Oceana)
Since 2002, the Crown once again cracked down on the freedom of speech in the interest of "national security". Three TV stations were closed down, in 2001 and 2002, with the final remaining station been taken into the administration of the Crown. Similarly, four newspapers (Oceana Watchmen, Oceana Free Press, New Life, and Oceana Today) were shut down between 2001 and 2003, and three more (Crown Post, Journal of Oceana, and The Chronicle) were merged and became The Crown Standard, an entirely Crown-owned newspaper. Two newspapers (The Oceana Beacon, and The Islander) quietly disappeared from public distribution, moving underground. The Journal of Oceana and New Life remained the only private newspapers in the kingdom, although under heavy regulation and influence from the Crown.
New Life shut its printing presses in 2010 after the Crown forcibly intervened in response to an opinion piece criticizing the Crown for its poor human rights record, and questioned the need for a monarchy.
The Journal of Oceana saw its editor jailed for repeated criticism of the Crown's response to the recession, on "national security" reasons.
The Islander, formerly the main newspaper of Panopea, became a revolutionary paper in that area, and several editors and reporters of the paper have been arrested by the Crown.
Role in the Revolution[]
The abolishment of all independent media organizations in July 2010 is thought to have had a profound effect on setting off the civic revolution in 2011. The Beacon, which had remained in operation regardless of the media ban, kept publishing at the start of the civic revolution, and in aiding it to its eventual successful end.
Public vs. Private[]
Centuries of state-controlled media have led to a deep-seeded distrust in public media organizations. The adoption of the Beacon into the state apparatus created intense debate on the role of the media in Oceana. Ultimately it was agreed that the Beacon, although funded entirely by public funds, would remain as an independent organization and allowed unprecedented access to government institutions. Although the media industry in Oceana has been allowed the freedom to operate relatively free of government regulation, the Beacon
Editor-in-Chief[]
To ensure the independence and objectivity of the Beacon, the position of Editor-in-Chief was set up as an elected position. The public is to elect an individual to act in the dual position of Editor-in-Chief of the Beacon and Press Secretary. As an elected officer, the Press Secretary is to report the actions of the Executive and of the Legislature, to ensure transparency in the system and the workings of the fledgling republic, and to prevent corruption.
It was accepted that this unprecedented arrangement had the potential for the individual in this position to be at
It was thus decided that any individual elected to the position would be term-limited. The Constitution sets the number of terms as one (1), with provisions for exceptional circumstances. The Press Secretary serves at the mercy of the President and the Parliament, and can be relieved of their duties if found to be in violation of their defined position.
List of Editors[]
The following individuals have acted as Editor-in-Chief: