role of media in politics
The Role of Media in Politics Today: Are We, The People, Being Misinformed? The current role of mass media in American politics has definitely played a significant role in how Americans view and react to certain events and issues of the nation. Newspapers, magazines, television and radio are some of the ways information is passed onto many of the United States' citizens. The World Wide Web is also an information superhighway, but not all of the sources on the Internet are credible. Therefore, I will only focus on the main three types of media: written, viewed, and audible, and how they effect whether or not democracy is being upheld in the land of the free. When I think about how Mass media effects politics and democracy in the U.S. today, the first thing that comes to mind is the war in Iraq. The biggest factor is that journalists are not allowed to film, or take pictures of wounded or deceased American soldiers. Why? I'll tell you why. During the middle of the Vietnam War, Americans saw on television and in newspapers the thousands of body bags being brought back every day. This sparked a very large anti-war sentiment for many citizens, and in some cases, riots broke out (i.e. Kent State University killing). Alth
On television, just the major stories are hit on. Newspapers are the most detailed and most complete sources of information out of all the types of media in the country. How what one hears on the news can effect their entire outlook on a situation, one would think more positive things would be heard. Also, the presidential debates are held quadrennially, allowing the people to see how the candidates for office react to certain questions posed. Democracy in this nation is supposed to be about the people. How can anyone be informed of what he/she needs to be, if they [big networks] won't air the small stories? But moving away from the negatives of mass media on democracy, I'll explain a few things that show how it promotes the better of society. This is despicable! For the journalists not to be able to show the war, as a whole is an outrage and as an American citizen I am fully upset with my government. ough not as many Americans have died over in the middle east, a very large number have been wounded, and significant amounts (approx. If a network doesn't think something is important due to the fact that it may not affect many people, they don't air it. Most issues are seen from both sides. I know, for myself, that without television and newspapers, I would know nothing of political races and the current campaign trail. By doing this, it simply puts a limit to what the average citizen will be informed of. I want to know the good as well as the bad.
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