Politics & the Mass Media | Introduction

This unit begins from the assumption that an understanding of politics and political processes must include an analysis of the role played by the media.

The sort of questions we ask include:

• Does the media provide an accurate, balanced or fair account of politics?

• Do newspapers influence elections?

• Does what the Sun says actually make a difference to the results of elections?

• Which political interests determine the form and content of the media's coverage of politics?

• How much power does Rupert Murdoch wield?

• Is the practice of politics being transformed by the media?

• Are politicians being "packaged" and "sold" using the techniques of advertising?

• Should the press be regulated or television deregulated for the good of democracy?

• The unit introduces you to current and past debates about the politics of mass media

• It considers the issues raised by arguments about media power and media bias

• It examines the ways in which political parties, politicians and government have engaged in new forms of political communication

• It looks at debates about the impact of mass media on democracy

• It provides an opportunity for group work

Objectives

By the end of unit, you should be able to:

• identify and assess competing arguments about media power

• discuss the problems of analysing media bias

• describe and assess changes in political communication

• argue about the claims made for the media"s political influence

• reflect upon the problems and benefits of group work

continued...

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