What is the mass media

1
What is the mass media? How can the mass media
influence decision making?
2
Popular view of the mass media

• They report and represent popular views to those
  invested with decision making powers
• Inform society about the actions of government,
  educate voters
• Act as a watchdog of the public interest

3
In what ways do TV/radio influence public opinion?

• During the wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah
  Ferguson an ITN newscaster asked a young man
• what for you has been the highlight of the day
• He replied oh, being interviewed by you
• This helps illustrate the point that the media
  has become more important than the message it
  carries

4
Political impact of the media

• Depends on
• The timing of a news item
• The frequency with which items are featured in
  the mass media
• The intensity with which media messages are
  communicated

5
Television Radio

• Television and radio must be UNBIAS.
• Politicians often complain to statutory bodies if
  they feel they are being misrepresented or
  portrayed in a bad light.
• News broadcasts, radio debates and political
  programmes all help ordinary people to keep up to
  date with government issues.

6
In what ways do TV/radio influence public opinion?

• However The information given to electors via TV
  and radio can be influenced by SPIN DOCTORS who
  put a favourable slant on news stories.  
• the party in power is likely to receive the most
  media attention.

Mandelson ability to persuade, charm and exert
pressure was legendary
7
influence on decision making

• Although this also means the government are
  subject to greater scrutiny and broadcasters will
  analyse what they are doing. E.g. War in Iraq.
• Therefore the media can carry out investigations
  into the actions and policies of the government

8
In what ways do TV/radio influence decisions?

• Debates are also shown on TV e.g question Time,
  Newsnight
• this also leads to scrutiny of the government and
  raises public awareness

9
Do TV/radio influence decision making?

• Radio and TV broadcasters do not make the news
  and if it is bad for the government of the day
  then they cannot just invent stories that show
  the other parties in an unfavourable light.
• This provides the information on which people
  make political decisions therefore governments
  consider impact of their actions on the public

10
In what ways do TV/radio influence decisions?

• However Hoggart (The Guardian) argues that TV
  cannot reflect events in the real world because
  it is artificially shaped
• They try to tell people what they think they want
  to know and are therefore not objective
• TV/ radio reinforce widely shared views and
  marginalise alternatives

11
Ownership and control influence media messages

• TV has a clearer distinction between ownership
  and control than newspapers e.g. BBC
• Although 5 private companies share ¾ of the
  audience, the broadcasting law forbids displaying
  open partisanship

12
Ownership and control influence media messages

• It can be argued that the medias education role
  is being diminished by trivial shows, soaps,
  gossip etc
• On the other hand these are the theories to which
  the public respond e.g. personalities- Brown Vs
  Blair, revelations and disasters