Essay on Mass Medias Political Power - 967 Words

Mass Medias Political Power There are two main issues regarding media influence in politics 1. Does presentation and coverage affect voting behaviour and choices? 2. Do media have an impact on political struggle and decide nature of debates? Definitions of mass media Mass media are channels of communication through which messages flow, produced by a few for consumption by many people. As the messages go through the channels, they are distorted. When people receive mass-media messages, they have no opportunity for immediate feedback with the producers of the messages.( www.pbs.org) Specialist institutions such as books, magazines, adverts, newspapers, radio,†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬ËœTelevision has ceased to cover the campaign; it has become the campaign.’(Harrop: 2001) One of the ways the mass media is politically influential is through deciding what to cover and what not to cover, through deciding what counts as newsworthy. This is essentially cutting a full day’s news coverage of world events into a half hour show. News programs tend to focus on exceptional stories this leads coverage to be an unrepresentative sample of daily events. For example media will focus policy failure over success or scandal and corruption over stories of integrity. This is can help influence politics because it is directing attention away from ‘lesser important views’. The important point of thought is who decides this is news worthy. This selection of news stories centres around elite groups, nations and prominent political parties which reinforce images of relationships between power and order in society also where the power lies and how it should be used. According to Stewart hall these are not simply a reflection of the world as it is thatâ⠂¬â„¢s neutral or objective but an interpretation of the world given to us. 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