Journalism and war responsibility: On the thoughts of Journalism of the “Research Society of Shiso no Kagaku” in Japan

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<p>本文以卓南生2020年的專著《東亞新聞事業論》為起點，論述聚焦在「新聞學的戰爭責任」上；這焦點既是卓南生新聞史研究、時事評析，以及新聞教育的關鍵前提，更是了解當代日本不可或缺的實質範疇。戰前，日本新聞學著重傳播效能，許多菁英投身軍國主義宣傳，但在戰後，這批專業人士卻「轉向」成為協助美國建設民主日本、大眾傳播的執行要員；一時之間，言語雖能表達，但在傳播過程中無法有效傳達意義的「傳播隔閡」卻在大眾中普及開來。圍繞著1946年出版的雜誌《思想的科學》而於1949年成立的研究會，正是掌握這段歷史的關鍵角色，也能成為理解卓南生書寫脈絡的背景。結論揭示二戰後的新聞學如何成為日本的思想史課題，以有效參與當代文化建構的歷史變局。</p> <p> </p><p>Starting from Toh Lam Seng’s latest book titled “East Asian Journalism”, this study focused on the war responsibility of journalism, which is the key premise of Toh’s journalism history research, current affairs commentary, and journalism education, as well as the substantive domain that facilitates the understanding of contemporary Japan. Before World War II, Japanese journalism focused on the effectiveness of communication with many elites devoting themselves to militarism propaganda. However, after World War II, these elites became key executives in assisting the United States in turning Japan into a democracy with mass communication. However, at that time, a “communication gap” emerged among the general public as a result of ineffective delivery of meanings during the communication process despite the use of language for transmission of information. In order to grasp the history of this period, it is crucial to understand the key role played by the magazine Shiso no Kagaku (1946) and later by the Society for the Shiso no Kagaku (1949). This also constitutes the context in which Toh’s writings can be understood. The conclusion revealed how journalism after World War II became a subject of Japan’s intellectual history, which allows for its effective participation in the historical changes in contemporary cultural construction. </p> <p> </p>