To what extent is the mass media politically powerful? There are two main issues regarding media influence in politics

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To what extent is the mass media politically powerful?

There are two main issues regarding media influence in politics

. 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, television, cinema, videos which occupy a central and pivotal role in our lives. That which reaches very large audiences (freespace.virgin.net)

Forms of communication designed to reach a vast audience without any personal contact between the senders and receivers. Examples would include newspapers, magazines, video recordings, radio and television (www.elissetche.org)

Political debates

In recent years the need to understand the relationship between the media and politics has become more pressing. Many researchers attribute enormous power to news media, claiming they have the ability to 'move and shake governments. Although there has been questioning since early conception of media outlets about influence media can assert over a mass audience, the question of weather the media is politically powerful has become a very hot topic since the early 1980's.
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This has been done by examining coverage of political matter through newspaper and television. There seems little doubt television is the publics main source of information for political matter in the UK (516 TV sets per 1000 people: 1998) there is no doubt it is a major ball player with regarding political coverage. 'Television 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 ...

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