4. Mass media

my past posts on politics

Theoretically, mass media is the collective name for all popular forms of communication, which channel information and ideas (via publishing, broadcating etc). But how does it apply to our lives in reality? How big is influence that mass media have on our decisions and beliefs? And finally, what is the role of media in politics and how big is its impact?

There has been many theories on this particular problem.
In the 1930s - during the Golden Age of propaganda - dictators often believed that by manipulating media they can massively change popular views.
Later on, researchers such as Lazarsefeld argued that it's rather a matter of reinforcing people's opinion. According to 'minimum effect' theory, every voter have his own preconceptions and ideas and the media can only intensify these beliefs.
Finally, in the 1970, GUMG developed a theory that the media influence the electorate by determining what is seen and heard (the so-called "agenda-setting") and how. GUMG stressed the impact of outlook and background of journalists - according to researchers, journalists presented their news in a way that was determined by their upbringing and education, which resulted in the hidden bias.
But on the other hand, as pluralists often argue, people can easily defend themselves from biased media by exposure to different and diverse sources of opinion. If this particular statement is true, we cannot assume that biased news modify the views of electorate, even if for most voters the media (television, newspapers, radio) is the main source of information.
Nowadays, however, many of us still believe that the media must have an impact on our decisions (both as society, and as electorate). It is the common sense - more than 97% of homes have a television, some 50% of UK homes have access to Internet, nearly 60% of people over the age o 15 read a morning paper and huge majority of voters has at least basic education. Willing or not, we are exposed to a float of information, views and knowledge. We cannot ever fully escape - unless we choose to be excluded from today's society.
With such numbers, it is only sensible to assume that there must be some effect, some influence - even, if it may not be apparent in the short term. Why would we have so many different sources of information, if the news didn't have an impact? And finally, why would parties increase professional approach to media management if they were not convinced that the media fo matter in shaping the opinions of electorate?
All these factors must be taken under consideration. After all, there must be a reason for calling the media "the fourth political power".