COM 300 (Influence of mass media on politics)

Influence of mass media on politics
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Abstract
The role of media in politics is highly attributed by the ability to influence on peoples opinions towards political actors. Mass media is the main source of information to a large population of people in the world and thus is better placed in changing their opinions though coverage of information. Political actors gain their influence over the people by having a close relationship with mass media. Through the mass media, they are able to sway the public opinion towards their policies. The power of mass media in political plat form can be used in various forms among them being influencing policy change and also in gaining political mileage by political actors.
Introduction
The need to establish the extent of media influence over political outcomes has been a pressing issue for a long period of time. There is a general census among many researchers that mass media is a powerful tool that determines political outcomes all over the world Riffe, Lacy, S, & Fico, (2005). Some claim that mass media is a basic tool that is often used by the elites in the society to influence the political outcomes in their favor (Swanson, 1996). Mass media has a great influence over the people in the whole world since it is the major source of information to the people and can easily determine their reaction towards certain issues (Walgrave & Aelst, 2004). Political information forms a basic part of news coverage by the use of media, including the social media where political information is transmitted as people interact. This paper seeks to look at the influence of mass media on political outcomes in regard to shaping public policies, swaying public opinions as well as determining the outcomes of political elections.
Power of mass media
A major distinction of mass media is the ability to affect people’s perceptions of social norms. Mass media plays a major role in forming and directing people’s behavior. Coverage of information by the mass media influences on people’s reaction towards that particular information. Mass media provides coverage of information that few people directly experience and makes happenings from around the world observable and meaningful to the public. The influence of mass media on political outcomes is basically as a result of its power in public platform. Mass media has become a basic part of life to many individuals all over the world. Media access has increased especially due to the fact that mass media exists in various forms which include print media, internet, cable television and potable devices with internet among others. Media is the main source of information for the majority of people and it being used to educate people. The power of media is in its ability to influence human thinking and change their perception on how they relate among the members of the public. Media capability to associate with powerful personalities as well as big companies demonstrates it being a powerful tool in communication. The other aspect is demonstrated when religious leaders, politicians and other individuals seeking public attention pass their message via so as to drive their opinions to the public (Meyer & Hinchman, 2002).
There are various factors that have contributed to the power of mass media in recent times among them being daily innovation in technology and democracy where there are fewer restrictions on access to information. Technological advancements have brought new revolutions in mass media which has made the world seem like a tiny village when it comes to sharing and spreading of information. News around the world can now be easily transmitted and accessed all over the world particularly through the use of internet. Dissimilar from the past where information was confined in a specific locality, technology has made it possible for global access of information through different forms of mass media. Democracy has allowed for easy access to information and more involvement of mass media in political affairs (Meyer & Hinchman, 2002).
Influence of mass media on public policies
Understanding of the political environment under which mass media operates helps to understand the power of mass media in controlling the members of public. The environment for mass media is particularly different between democratic and un-democratic governments. For instance, democracy has made it possible for people to be engaged in government business by informing, educating as well mobilizing the public via media. This can in turn explain the difference in the level of public awareness in the two situations and also the nature of political activities in both situations (Sagepub, 2002). In un-democratic states, mass media is highly controlled by the government and is mainly used as a tool for propaganda. This makes the information from the media to be pro government policies Walgrave & Aelst (2004).
Different from undemocratic societies, in democratic societies mass media is free of government control and this makes them to provide information with varying opinions which includes critics on government policies. The influence of mass media in setting public policies can be illustrated on the difference of reactions between members of public in democratic sates, and members of public in un-democratic states. Media creates awareness in the democratic states and this leads to a response from the public either in support or condemnation of the policies by the government. This can be seen through political activities that may take place in objection to government policies such as through demonstrations. In un-democratic states, the government controls mass media to ensure members of public are not sensitized about critical issues affecting their lives, and this restricts them from to the government policies since they are not aware of their effects (Walgrave & Aelst, 2004).
Mass media has been on the fore front in political agenda setting for a long time. When mass media emphasizes on a particular topic, the public gets actively involved in the topic (Meyer & Hinchman, 2002). Members of the public consider the topics which are emphasized by mass media to be of much importance, and therefore set priorities for those issues. Agenda setting is an important aspect for political actors who are usually in response to the prevailing issues affecting the public. Political actors can ignore a lot of issues affecting the public without the awareness created by mass media. On the other hand, issues which do not affect the public directly can go unnoticed without the involvement of media. The media enables the public to be aware of various issues which are not directly impacting on them. Coverage of information generates public debate which prompts political actors to act in response Meyer, & Hinchman (2002).
Agenda setting by mass media has been experienced on many occasions and have often led to policy change or a policy initiation in response to the prevailing issues by the government. In United States, mass media has been a major contributor towards foreign policies. The debate over CNN effect about the power of mass media in dictating foreign policies in western countries is an illustration of the power of mass media in persuading the government. Most of the foreign policies towards humanitarian aid to poor countries and places hit by disasters are said to be driven by the continuous emphasis of the issues by mass media.
Media relations are vital factors in creating public awareness about certain issues. Various advocates for public issues use their relations with mass media to influence on the public opinion, which in turn influences on the action taken by government in response. Advocates for social welfare on issues such as refugees and hunger, rely on the media to create awareness and lay a basic foundation for the government to act. To achieve this, they create a close relationship with media in which the information gathered on the ground is channeled to the public. The relationship created will enable the concerns raised by social advocates to get to the attention of policy makers due to public interest (Meyer & Hinchman, 2002).
The influence of mass media over political outcomes is not necessarily meant for public interest. The power of mass media has been used by political actors in gaining powers over their competitors and by wealthy personalities in retaining their social hierarchy in the society. Media relations are a common factor especially with the political elites who dominates over others by influencing the public. This has been the source of mass media allegations in which media is accused of favoring some politicians over the others. These allegations are as a result of the influence created by mass media in shaping public opinions towards certai...