Knowledge, Reason, and Emotion: The Pillars of Media
Media today is the discipline that penetrates societies and nations, reaching even their prominent individuals, as well as children, especially in the era of social media.
Media is responsible for clarifying facts, news, and information—both accurate and inaccurate—by informing the public about the truth of a matter, a report, or its lack thereof, through written, audio, and visual mediums.
As is well known, media derives from the root word for “knowledge,” meaning awareness of what is happening, what has occurred in the past, and what may occur in the present and future.
Indeed, there is media that relies on emotion and sentiment, encompassing both truth and falsehood. In such cases, emotion acts as the master and ruler, subjugating reason to the extent possible to overpower the audience, thereby misleading them into accepting what is not true, and potentially causing them to turn away from the truth.
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On the other hand, there is the domain of pure reason and knowledge, which is highly desirable and important. However, one should not entirely discard emotion in the media sphere, so that the discourse remains persuasive to an audience dominated by emotion.
Reason and knowledge persuade rational individuals whose thinking is governed by logic. In this context, media becomes a beacon of correctness when it integrates reason, knowledge, and emotion. This integration ensures comprehensive media coverage, amplifying its impact on the audience and across generations, both in the present and the future.
Emotion undoubtedly pertains to the heart’s reaction to a proposed topic, news item, or issue. At such moments, reason and knowledge serve as the foundation, while decisiveness governs the media approach. Emotion, expressed through heartfelt engagement, completes the beneficial balance—both immediately and in the long term—regarding the subject or project at hand.
Reason provides studies, analyses, and logic, attempting to anticipate outcomes. Emotion interweaves with this process, establishing an acceptable balance between knowledge, emotional factors, cultural heritage, traditions, prevailing ethics, and similar elements, ensuring they are not disregarded through overly rigid rationalism.
Media harmony between reason and knowledge, and between the heart and emotion, is crucial for persuading the audience generally, whether concerning current or future projects.
Indeed, when reason, knowledge, and emotion converge in harmony, the results are superior, and the future vision of the project becomes clearer. This clarity enables the identification, reinforcement, development, and enhancement of the project’s positives, while also clearly delineating potential negatives in the future, along with formulating solutions and plans to address them, or developing suitable alternatives.
I conclude with a saying frequently repeated by my teacher, Professor Mohamed Al-Afifi (may God have mercy on him): “Media becomes the master and focal point of both elite and popular culture when its discourse integrates knowledge, emotion, and reason, and is dominated by truth.”
I asked him then: “Why did you not include truth alongside knowledge, reason, and emotion?”
He replied: “If media claims that everything it says is truthful, it becomes imprecise. Media sometimes requires silence and avoidance, at other times subtle hints, and at other times detailed explanations, all according to the situation and necessity, without deviating from this principle.”
Kuwaiti journalist
