Media and politics. What is the role of the media in a democracy?

Media and Politics
Name
Professor’s Name
Course
Institution
Due Date
Media and Politics
What is the role of the media in a democracy?
The media in a democracy is responsible for ensuring that the citizens of a country are well-informed about the workings of their government. As participants in self-government, citizens have to be well-informed and act from the point of information while exercising their roles as citizens.
The media also plays the role of a watchdog with the goal of ensuring accountability in the elected officials of the government. The media should objectively assess the government’s decisions and policies and their impact on the citizens and share this information with the public. It should ensure that a government is keeping its promise to the public in their exercise of power.
The media should also ensure that it offers the public different and objective takes on issues of the day. As a body that seeks to inform, the media must ensure that its takes are unbiased and that the public is well aware of the different options available to them.
What conditions are necessary for the media to fulfill its democratic role?
Universal access to media. With universal access, more people will be tuned in and thus informed of the government’s decisions and policies. Access is what will lead to objective debates because people will argue from an informed point. Without universal access, the media’s role is greatly impacted since they will only be able to capture the attention of a few people.
The strength ...