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Solved by verified expert:DirectionsRead the attached document, “Analyzing the Media’s Role in the Political Process”. After reading the attached blog and the information in the textbook from Chapter’s 10 and 13 on the media, the following assignment is to be completed.Note: In the article Dr. Lynch, in his analysis states that there are some problems or charges against the media for example:the media seems to lack the principles of being objective and provides Impartial reportingthe media does not only report the news but represents certain segments of societysome issues as reported are often distorted and causes confusiona few individuals own media outlets and influence political opinionThe assignment is to respond to this statement:The rise of media empires that are owned and controlled by a few individuals in a democracy has a profound effect on political views of individualsFormat: Research atleast two media corporations, include who the owners are number of people reached/exposed whether it is by television or written. Provide two examples of written information or televised programming that shows how this particular issue as presented by this media outlet could influence the political views of individuals. For example if you read an article in the New York Times explain how the information could influence the political views of individuals. Also,, include who owns the paper and circulation numbers of paper.Be specific, include the issue discussed in detail and the political message given that would influence choices and decisions made by people watching or reading it.
analyzing_the_media.docx
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Analyzing the Media’s Role in the Political Process
By Matthew Lynch ED.
An independent media is a vital feature of any liberal democracy. If the government was able to control
all the information regarding its own actions then it could most certainly escape all accountability and
even have an unacceptable level of influence over its citizen’s actions. This is why the importance of a
free press cannot be under-estimated. In a liberal democracy, the aim of a free press is to continually
scrutinize the government and provide people with accurate and impartial information so that they can
act on it accordingly.
Thus, the media acts as an effective check on government power and influence over its citizens. In the
last few decades, there has been an unprecedented growth in mass media accompanied by the falling
costs of radio, TV, satellite and Internet services. This phenomenon has helped bring political
information to a much wider audience. On the other hand, the boom in media services has also allowed
various organizations from all over the political spectrum to quickly and effectively reach their target
audiences.
A common charge against the media is that it increasingly seems to lack the principles of objective and
impartial reporting. Instead, many major organizations seem to be taking one side of the political
spectrum and at best provide relatively biased coverage or at worse act like virtual propaganda
machines for a particular political party. Certainly, some issues are subjective, hence there can be no
universal line of thought, and requiring all news organizations to passively report only what they see and
not include an analytical perspective, would to a certain degree, defeat the purpose of having a free
press.
While some of the general problems regarding the media and liberal democracies today can be easily
identified, it is much harder to come up with an effective remedy. It is very difficult to completely
remove political influence and enforce a perfectly neutral position. Indeed, this would be
counterproductive. The media today does not just report the news but also represents the views of
certain segments of society. As such, many news organizations cater to liberal or conservative lines
when it comes to political information.
In theory, this could provide healthy debate because at any given point of time some news organizations
will be supporting or opposing government policies. However, sometimes there is a thin line between
healthy debate and active intervention and it is common for media organizations to often cross this line.
In the process, a negative consequence would be the degradation of accurate political information.
Therefore, some issues that can be objectively reported are often distorted to a point that it causes
more confusion than clarity to the general audience.
A major concern in many liberal democracies is the emergence of media empires, where a few
individuals have managed to concentrate vast amounts of media assets and use them to actively
influence political opinion. Thus, these individuals, from whichever point of the political spectrum, can
deliver a powerful political message on behalf or against a political establishment through their
respective media empires. This is especially damaging if parts of the general public are more exposed to
one particular media empire either due to its high popularity or the lack of alternative media sources.
Furthermore, these individuals possess the ability to provoke people or interest groups into mobilizing,
simply by highlighting a particular issue. For example, horrific images from the battlefield or a
controversial medical study can invoke a massive response. Therefore, even if it could be argued that
the media cannot exactly influence people directly, they can most certainly have a strong influence on
what issues people are made aware of or exposed to.
The danger in all of this is that it could distort the quality of information that people receive and that in
turn could distort their decisions. If positive issues are reported in a negative manner then at least some
voters will vote against them even if it is contrary to their own interests, and vice versa. This is made
worse when there is a high level of voter apathy, which means people will be less interested in taking
part or learning about particular issues that could affect them. However, these concerns are nothing
new. In fact, with the emergence of the first TV and Radio networks, governments in the Europe and
America put forward legislation that forced broadcast media to adopt a neutral position. In Europe, in
particular, the state often intervened to nationalize major broadcasting networks.
Furthermore, the rise of media corporations, whose owners were enthusiastic to express their political
opinions, seemed to herald the end of the media empires of yesteryear. Yet, nationalizing major
broadcast networks or heavy-handed regulation can open up the media to government intervention or
censorship, which is highly damaging as well. Even with such efforts, owners of media empires have
adapted by swiftly embracing new technology and expanding to different broadcast media such as
private terrestrial and satellite TV. Today media empires continue to dominate much of the mainstream
broadcast networks in many liberal democracies.
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