The Role of the Media on Political Process

The influence of the media on public policy

• Mechanisms of media influence on politics
• Different access to media for different groups of the population
• Publications that focus on individuals
• Active media coverage of political material
• The media’s influence only manifests itself under certain conditions (for example, the availability of mass media)

Content affects how much people attach importance to specific issues. Thus, “The mass media play a fundamental role in the formation of public opinion, either by defining the topics of discussion or by making a degree of emphasis on certain issues” (Pinto et al., 2018). For example, if mass media pay close attention to unemployment, people will give meaning to this problem.

Influence of mass media on the formation of public opinion

• Manipulating public opinion
• It is difficult for citizens to navigate a massive amount of information
• PR: the ability to influence the result of voting
• The journalist’s interpretation of the event
• The media impose specific behavioral standards

With the help of a competent PR company and proper public interaction strategy, political parties and their leaders can significantly influence the course and result of the popular vote.

The role of the media in the political life of the country

• Control
• Opposition
• Criticism
• Source of information
• Association of citizens

The media informs citizens that other people share their interests, and it is possible to unite to achieve common goals.

Impact of the media on the political process

• The way information is encoded influences its consumers in different ways
• Information manipulation
• The role of the media in the event of a government failure
• The formation of the political agenda
• Political socialization

The government encourages people to take specific actions by imposing its goals through the media. According to Rosales-Viray and Versoza (2018), “Media does not only investigate, monitor, and expose government’s inefficiencies and corruption. But it also assumes some of its responsibilities, especially when the latter fails”.

Political parties: working with the media

• Media influence on voters’ perception of political parties
• The use of televised debates for political purposes
• Repel enemy attacks through the media
• Influence of mass media on political attitudes of voters
• The role of mass media in spreading information about the activities of political parties

First of all, all political parties work with the media. This circumstance is explained by the vast power that the mass media have over the audience.

The role of mass media in modern society

• “Fashion” for information
• Efficiency: a politician cannot become successful without the influence of the media
• Influence on behavior
• The media cover various topical public issues
• The media forms people’s opinions

First of all, information affects the worldview of each person. Their behavior depends on what they read, hear, and view.

The nature of media influence on the state

• The media is an intermediary between the government and society, and the intermediary is usually neutral
• Model of active state intervention in the media
• Dialogue with the public through mass media
• The media that are most dependent on government agencies
• The Internet media (the least dependent)

The content of the media depends on the established form of relations between the media and government structures in the country. The most preferred model is the media dialogue, which is used in democratic states.

The influence of the media on elections

• Mass media as a source of political information for voters
• Informing and educating voters
• Laws or rules of media operation applied during elections
• The media allows parties to engage in debates with each other
• The media informs about the election results and monitors the vote count

The media is an essential element in conducting democratic elections. According to Brichacek (n.d.), “The first way journalists get involved in elections is by choosing which candidates to cover and how much. Those choices alone can have a huge effect on voter perceptions”.

References

Brichacek, A. Six ways the media influence elections. (n.d.). School of Journalism and Communication. Web.

Pinto, S., Albanse, F., Dorso, C. O., & Balenzuela P. (2018). Agenda diversity and coverage bias: A quantitative approach to the agenda-setting theory. Physics and Society, 13 Jul 2018. Web.

Rosales-Viray, K., & and Versoza, S. M. (2018). Media engagement and ethnic identity: The case of the Aeta Ambala of Pastolan Village. KnE Social Sciences, 2018, 1223–1234. Web.