Is the media an active participant in democracy or a trafficker of consumer capitalism? Guardians of the citizenry or lap dogs of the power elite? Many journalists see themselves as protectors of our political system or more so as watchdogs of democracy, but the media is concurrently blamed and praised for various aspects of political life. On the one hand, it is indicted of a large spectrum of offenses such as jeopardizing national security, oversimplifying issues of public policy and focusing all too much on the negatives. On the other hand, the same politicians who criticize the media attempt to sway and dominate it, trying to get their messages out to the electorate. What does this say about journalism in the current age? To start with it speaks about the substantial presence the media has in our political system. In many ways, our democracy depends on the media, just as much as the media depends on the political system of a country. As said by Angela Phillips and Tamara Wtschge, “Information is to democracy what oxygen is to fire. Without one the other cannot survive. This is why democracy and the independent news media have developed hand in hand, and why any threat to the survival of organized news in the public interest is also a threat to democracy.” (Changing Journalism, 2011, pg. 1)
In this day and age, the public is able to make their political presence felt and their opinions heard instead of simply being docile receivers of political news. Authors such as Muthukumaraswamy believe that a “significant accomplishment of the new media world is the shifting of power from publishers and advertisers toward the people” (2010, pg. 50). The vast web of the media ensures that the electorate takes responsible, informed and conve...
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...mply turn a blind eye to the fact that both the quantity as well as the quality of the stream of beneficial political information now available to the common man far exceeds that to which previous generations had access. It can be said that democracy and the media are unmatched early cautioning devices. They help in defining and revealing risks that are not worth taking the plunge for and they make sure that something known is not easily relinquished for an unknown better. So what is the connection between news media and the political system of a country? Some might say that the relationship is deteriorating as we move ahead into the future but according to me such concerns are as old as democracy. Nonetheless, as per my belief, the connection between the political system and news media will always be fraught, while at the same time being complaisant and synergetic.
The media have an irreplaceable paper on the actual society, because the democracy it's a system based on the public opinion, the confrontation and the coexist of them. The creation of that we call "public opinion" depends in a very big way in the work of the media.
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...
Bennett (2011) felt that one of the biggest problems with bias in the American media was its “overwhelming tendency to downplay the big social, economic, or political picture in favor of the human trials, tragedies, and triumphs (177).” Shaiko (2008) alluded to the fact that the American news media is “accountable to the corporate conglomerates” and not “to the readers, listeners, and viewers (205).” Probably the most telling quotation of all can be found in Chapter 10 of The News Media: Communicating Pol...
The news media rejects the fact that they are biased. They claim that they are the “middle of the road,” and are neutral on the stories that they cover. Publishers also claim that they are the watchdog for the political system, and they make sure that the system is free of any corruption, or wrongdoing. Th...
The media also have an impact on voting behaviour. It is the main source of information about government and politics and contributes to the democratic process as it encourages political awareness amongst the public. There ...
Fog, A. (2004, May 4). The supposed and the real role of mass media in modern democracy. Retrieved from Agner.org: www.agner.org/cultsel/mediacrisis.pdf
The article “Why Americans Hate the Media” takes a look at how the media has taken their journalistic duties to another level that does not promote the ideas and questions that the American citizens whom the journalist report to are concerned about. The media has found a way to keep their ratings and the hype of politics alive by sensationalizing hot-bed issues. In the article “Why Americans Hate the Media” written by James Fallows it states that “Perhaps the public has good reason to think that the media’s self-aggrandizement gets in the way of solving the countries real problems” (Fallows) which leads to the fact that, although the media knows that they are skipping over the American citizens view and sending their own message, but somehow
Media houses and News channels in particular, were originally founded to keep the masses informed of what was currently going on in the world around them. Over the years, media has evolved to be a selling tool. The fact that there are so many media houses out there today does not make the issue better but worse. With the competition between media houses growing, the way news and entertainment is transmitted to the consumer has changed, as also the consumer base has grown. The power of media is gigantic when it comes to influencing the minds of people. With its ample power, Media has the capability to incorporate a specific bias in news by molding or shaping its contents to portray a desired impression. However, the general public still yearns for the real unbiased news content and seeks multiple opinions from various media channels available. This tendency has aggravated the competition between the media channels as every other channel endeavors to present a different angle of incidence with a specific bias.
The media now is changed as most of them have become commercial and no longer has an antagonistic relationship with secrecy, concentration of power and corruption as the corporations which pay for politicians now own the Journalists and the media agencies.
Perhaps the best place to begin a review of the relationship between media, capitalism and democracy is the United States of America, where democracy is held up as its foundation, freedom of speech is protected in its Declaration of Independence, and its society has held up capitalism as the best option for prosperity and equality for its citizens. Within the USA, news channels have long been accepted as having obvious links to political philosophies. Depending on the corporate interest, media channel content will display bias, supporting either a left-leaning, right-leaning, or neutral point of view to best serve the corporation.
They regroup the television, the radio, and newspapers. Aware of the power they have on us, media influence our thoughts, our acts, and our ideas in order to serve their interests. It isn't the purpose of this essay, but it would certainly not be too complicted to demonstrate that medias have a close link with politicians and that each one serve the interests of the others.
Mass media is a growing business, normally controlled by giant corporations. In fact majority of national news in only covered by few sources known as “Big Media” consisting of ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Time magazine, and United Press International. (Mary 6). Because the media is so big often the corporations determine what is to be given national attention such as the presidential elections. Leaving the opinions of others to change american politics. Mass media has shaped the political system by using the method “Share This” a social media tactic, televising campaign ads or other political views, and by integrating “Live Media Debates”.
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,
"Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one." This quote by A.J. Liebling illustrates the reality of where the media stands in today's society. Over the past twenty years there has been an increase in power throughout the media with regard to politics. The media's original purpose was to inform the public of the relevant events that occurred around the world. The job of the media is to search out the truth and relay that news to the people. The media has the power to inform the people but often times the stories given to the public are distorted for one reason or another. Using slant and sensationalism, the media has begun to shape our views in society and the process by which we choose our leaders. There was once a time when the government used the media as a medium to influence voters, committees, communities etc. Recently, it has been the presidents of major media outlets that have not only exercised power over the public but also made their presences felt in government and in the halls of congress. When the word democracy is thrown about it usually has to do with the rights or original intentions for a group or organization. The first group intended to be influenced by the media was the informed voter. Political parties along with the government used a variety of media resources to persuade the voter or in effect receive a vote for their cause. Returning to the thought of ?democracy? the question is, what was the original intention of the media with relation to the theme of democracy and the informed voter? To analyze this thought thoroughly one must first grasp an understanding of the basic definition of democracy.
In our democratic society, mass media is the driving force of public opinion. Media sources such as Internet, newspaper, news-broadcasts, etc, play significant roles in shaping a person’s understanding and perception about the events occurred in our daily lives. But how much influence does the mass media poses on our opinion? Guaranteed by the First Amendment in American Constitution, the media will always be there to inform us about the different events or issues they feel are important for the public. The media constantly bombards us with news, advertisements, etc, wher...