How much influence does the media have on the political process

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How much influence does the media have on the political process

The media is considered the fourth power in the modern democratic society. Its influence is undisputed, although it is hard to measure and to determine whether it is positive or negative. This essay will examine different theories related to the nature and the extent of the media influence on the political process. It will attempt to explain the trends in the development and the roles that different types of media play in the society.

There are three basic theories approaching the subject. According to them the media reinforces the public opinion, it forms the public opinion or it does not affect it (Clark 1979).  The first theory is based on the assumption that people have established opinions and political preferences and the exposure to the mass media is unlikely to change them, but only to reinforce them. This view is summarized by Joseph Klapper (as cited in Clark 1979: 72) “Persuasive communication functions far more frequently as an agent of reinforcement than as an agent of change”. This observation aligns with the typical structure of a pluralist society in which different interest groups have different media representation and coverage. This outlines the characteristics of the most common relationship between the media and the society in which the audience is a customer with specific preferences and the media is a provider of information and analysis, that is designed to meet the needs of its customers and to keep their attention. In a highly commercialized society like the USA this has shaped the media as a source that provides high volume of unsubstantial information.  says “With cable and now online outlets that can make anything news at any time, the media formerly known as mainstream are dealing with news that can go through several rounds of attack and counter-attack between the morning paper and the evening news “[1]. This trend seems to diminish the influence of the media and to downgrade the level of its quality, which leads to the diffusion of its power among many alternative outlets. Recent poll suggests that “full two thirds of Americans say mainstream media is “out of touch” with what the public wants from a trusted news source, and 64 per cent are dissatisfied with the quality of the news coverage for their community”[2].

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A media phenomenon in America, that captures the unhappy viewers, and arguably one of the few influential TV shows that appears to have any concern for the public interest is The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Although it is a comedy show it is “often cited as the only source of news for many television viewers”[3]. The show has specialized in decoding the hidden message behind the news in the mainstream media and ridiculing the hypocrisy and incompetence of public figures. Brian Williams NBC News anchor describes Jon Stewart as a “freestanding branch of government in this country." [4]. ...

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