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Essay on function of political communication
Theories of political communication
Theories of political communication
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Introduction
The aim of this paper is to achieve better understanding of political communication by critically reviewing Jesper Stromback’s four-dimension concept of mediatisation of politics. The essay is divided into three parts as follows. The first part presents the concepts of mediation and mediatisation, which contribute to the basis of Stromback’s theories. In the second part, the concept of mediatisation of politics by Stromback is deconstructed. With the help of such a concept, political communication can be perceived as a process in which adaptations between politics and media as well as competitions between media logic and political logic are involved in. The final section of the paper points out the limits of Stromback’s concept and further illustrates the extent to which political communication can be better understood. Political communication, in this context, should be conceived of as a process conducted under the functions of different variations beyond the spheres of media and politics.
The Concepts of Mediation and Mediatisation
Stromback’s four-dimension concept of mediatisation of politics can be perceived as the application of mediation and mediatisation in political communication. To better deconstruct his theories, the following paragraphs will introduce the two terms and their relevant characteristics that fit into his concept.
Mediation and mediatisation should be conceived of as two different concepts. Generally speaking, mediation refers to the acts of transmitting messages, intervening or reconciling between media institutions and other social actors or institutions (Mazzoleni & Schulz, 1999:249). In mediated political communication, the media become central for information inputs and outputs in...
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...l Communication, 16:3, 247-261.
Schulz, W. (2004) Reconstructing Mediatization as an Analytical Concept, European Journal of Communication, 19: 87-101.
Schweitzer, E. J. (2012) The Mediatization of E-Campaigning: Evidence From German Party Websites in State, National, and European Parliamentary Elections 2002-2009, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 17: 283-302.
Silverstone, R. (2002) Complicity and Collusion in the Mediation of Everyday Life, New Literary History, Volumn 33, Number 4, pp. 761-780.
Stromback, J. and Esser, F. (2009) Shaping Politics: Mediatization and Media Interventionism, in Lundby, K (eds) Mediatization: Concept, changes, consequences. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc, pp. 205-223.
Stromback, J. (2008) Four Phases of Mediatization: An Analysis of the Mediatization of Politics, The International Journal of Press/Politics, 13: 228-246.
Newspaper, radio, film, television. These are only a few of the various forms media can take. From the moment we open our eyes to the instant we shut them, we are surrounded by media and absorb the information it hurls at us in an osmosis-like manner. The news ranges from the latest terror attack and political scandals to supposed UFO sightings and scandals involving sandals. We as an audience tend to focus more on the message the media relays rather than on the medium in which it is presented to us. “What?” is asked more than “How?” The key claim Marshall McLuhan makes in his book, The Medium is the Massage, is that the form of media influences how the message is perceived. Let’s illustrate this with a scenario: it’s eight o’clock in the morning.
Despite this attempt to connect with the younger audience by politicians such as Bishop, and the potential to transform their relationships with the public, as a blogger by the name of Democratic audit, “ The reality of our political communications environment seems entombed with old media model of top down.”
When discussing the media, we must search back to its primal state the News Paper. For it was the News paper and its writers that forged ahead and allowed freedoms for today’s journalism on all fronts, from the Twitter accounts to the daily gazettes all must mark a single event in the evolution of media in respects to politics and all things shaping. Moving on in media history, we began to see a rapid expansion around 1990. With more than 50% of all American homes having cable TV access, newspapers in every city and town with major newspaper centers reaching far more than ever before. Then the introduction of the Internet; nothing would ever be the same.
The debate issue it self is an impression, it is a result of thought derived from a specific sours that is most likely to be the media. . “Mass media is a term which connotes the means of a variety of media specifically designed for disseminating news and information to a large audience for a variety of r...
398).It is also stated that news divisions reduced their costs, and raised the entertainment factor of the broadcasts put on air. (p. 400). Secondly, the media determines its sources for stories by putting the best journalists on the case and assign them to areas where news worthy stories just emanates. (p.400). Third, the media decides how to present the news by taking the most controversial or relevant events and compressing them into 30 second sound-bites. (p.402). finally, the authors also explain how the media affects the general public. The authors’ state “The effect of one news story on public opinion may be trivial but the cumulative effect of dozens of news stories may be important. This shows a direct correlation between public opinions and what the media may find “relevant”. (Edwards, Wattenberg, Lineberry, 2015, p.
First, the role of the media is to represent the public and intervene between the public and the government. The media is a mirror, which re...
Mass media is a means of public communication for reaching a large audience. Walter Lippmann and Herman and Chomsky state their views on the role of the mass media and how this role fits into the principles of a democratic government. However, Lippmann's view in Public Opinion, and Herman and Chomsky's view in °A Propaganda Model" have sharply distinct ideas. While, Lippmann supports a more ideal use and role of the mass media to balance with the public's life conditions through control of the media, on the contrary Herman and Chomsky condemn the misuse of the media from control.
Furthermore, this goes to show that popular culture and political communication, far from being distinct realms of study, are ‘closely – even inseparably – entwined. Political communication is a form of popular culture, and popular culture communicates political ideas and values.’ (Street 2012: 81). We may further argue that popular culture may potentially provide ‘an alternative to established forms of political communication’ (Street, Inthorn and Scott 2011: 352) by providing an ‘alternative sense of community’ (Hermes 2005: 11).
Do the public and the media influence American Presidential campaigns? Are there any connections between politicians, especially presidents, and the media? And how exactly does the structure of US politics look like? All these questions and many more are answered in this diploma thesis.
Media or medium of communication has been conceptualized to effect and drive information to the greater masses because it’s the venue where information can be linear form of communication. This essay will discuss what it is meant by media according to online Business Dictionary defines as the communication channels through which news, entertainment, education, data, or promotional messages are disseminated.” This may include broadcasting and narrowcasting medium such as newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, billboards, direct mail, telephone, fax, and internet, the Business Dictionary further includes in this definition.
In the US, mass media plays a significant role in politics. One of the key roles mass media plays in politics includes the airing of the platforms of various politicians. The media influences the view of people on politics and politicians. As the opinion of individuals is affected, the results of the votes are consequently changed (Holden, 2016).
... small media reforms (like public journalism) will be enough to reduce the commercial and corporate imperatives driving our existing media systems (Hackett and Zhao, 1998, p. 235). Instead, a fundamental reform of the entire system is needed, together with a wider institutional reform of the very structures the media systems work within, our democracies. This will be a difficult task, due to powerful vested interests benefiting from the status quo, including media, political and economic elites. Reforms will need to be driven by campaigns mobilising public support across the political spectrum, to enable the citizens of the world to have a media system that works to strengthen democratic principles as opposed to undermining them. This task is challenging, but it will become easier once people begin to understand the media’s role in policymaking within our democracies.
Sinclair, John (2002) “Media and Communications : Theoretical Traditions”, in Stuart Cunningham and Graeme Turner (eds), The Media & Communications in Australia, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, pp.23-34.
The current role of mass media in politics has definitely played a significant role in how view and react to certain events and issues of the nation. Newspapers, magazines, television and radio are some of the ways information is passed onto many of the citizens. The World Wide Web is also an information superhighway, but not all of the sources on the Internet are credible. Therefore, I will only focus on the main three types of media: written, viewed, and audible, and how they affect whether or not democracy is being upheld in the land of the free. The media includes several different outlets through which people can receive information on politics, such as radio, television, advertising and mailings. When campaigning, politicians spend large quantities of money on media to reach voters, concentrating on voters who are undecided. Politicians may use television commercials, advertisements or mailings to point out potentially negative qualities in their opponents while extolling their own virtues. The media can also influence politics by deciding what news the public needs to hear. Often, there are more potential news stories available to the media than time or space to devote to them, so the media chooses the stories that are the most important and the most sensational for the public to hear. This choice can often be shaped,
Hidden power, according to Fairclough (1995a), is the “power behind discourse” and entails how and to what extent the holders of powers exercise their influence. Discourse being a social practice (Fairclough 2001) and an element of a communicative event (van Dijk 1997) becomes a strong determinant that impacts culture and distributes power in society. This approach to discourse makes media a very influential mediator, and the discourse itself becomes a source of not only defining the power but also naturalizing it for the benefit of the power-holders. This media hegemony is manifest in the use of language, ordering of news, prioritizing the topics, and predetermining the content.