THE MEDIA, THE STATE AND THE POLITICAL

PROCESS

2 views of the media•The media is in the hands of a few powerful companies who impose their views on us. The role of the media is to distort reality, justifying the deep inequalities of wealth that exist at the same time keeping the masses happy with pictures of attractive women and stories of sex and sport

Free airing of social and political issues where opinions differ. Act

as watchdogs, criticising politicians and the powerful when

they override the interests of ordinary people

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Discuss

• the role of the mass media in the political process

• Democracies and authoritarian regimes

• State censorship

To what extent do the press promote democracy in Britain?

• Democracy: a system of government that involves some form of election by the people

Also has an ideolog

ical aspect

because it is a valued

feature in our society

Reporting styles

• Axford identifies 3 broadcasting styles for political coverage– REACTIVE – party campaigners are reported

in a mainly descriptive fashion. (Photo opportunities and leader profiles)

– REBELLIOUS – broadcasters set their own agenda (not always as the parties would wish)

– REFLECTIVE – analytical and thoughtful when looking at the issues and policies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdmoDLuLh44

John Prescott former Labour Deputy Prime Minister

Suspend the Kyoto protocol

The media and the state

• After WW2 there was an assumption of the free press. (free from direct control of government)

• Government control was ad hoc and more concerned with the structure and organisation of the media than their content

• Journalists and broadcasters had autonomy and were self regulating• The main legal controls are

– Official secrets act (1989)– The Prevention of Terrorism Act (1976)– Laws of Libel and contempt– Privacy Laws (1997)

Pg 212 in Jones and Jones make brief notes outlining each

Regulation of the media serves to maintain the interests of the powerful

• Propaganda Literature: Desert Storm/Desert Shield 1990/1991

• To help win that war quickly, the U.S. Army created several pieces of outstanding psychological warfare literature.

• This image of Saddam Hussein was designed as a wanted poster, on light weigh paper, for airdrop distribution. What was its purpose?

created to redirect the guilt, if any, felt by Iraqi soldiers, and to encourage them to blame everything bad on Saddam Hussein since he is a criminal. Thus, they might not fight with as much enthusiasm or determination.

ACTIVITY 1

• Media reporting– Read pg 275 up to the ‘pluralist view’– Answer the following questions– Write a summary in no more than 100 words

How did the general public learn

about political parties before

WW2?

Why is the news of particular interest to

sociologists?What is the role of a ‘spin doctor’ ?

Identify 3 ways in which televised

reporting of politics has changed ?

What was the perceived risk of

the media reporting on a General

Election?

What effect did WW2 have on the

way media reporting ?

ACTIVITY 2

• The pluralist view– Read pg 275 –277 up to the mass-manipulative

view– TRUE OR FALSE– Summarise the pluralist view in no more than

100 words

ACTIVITY 3

• Marxist view– Read pg 277 up to the Hegemonic view– Answer questions

ACTIVITY 4

• Neo Marxist view– Read pg 278 up to post-modernist– Answer questions– Summarise view in no more than 100 words

Explain how ‘good news’ stories from Eastern media can be viewed as propaganda Focus is on increase in production and new public facilities rather than crime

How is the Hegemonic view similar to Marxism?Both see the media’s role as maintaining and reinforcing the status quo in society

In what way can the GUMG findings be criticised?Unrepresentative, no evidence, not objective,

According to Hall (80) the news is seen as closed text. Explain what this means.Events presented are partial and selective revealing journalistic values

Give an example of the language used that showed bias in the disputeEmployers make ‘offers’ and ‘pleas’ whereas strikers make ‘demands’

and ‘threats’

What were the conclusions of GUMG study?

Industrial relations favours the employers over the employed

ACTIVITY 5

• Post Modernist view– Read pg 279– Baudrilland maintains the Gulf War didn’t happen.– Draw a cartoon depicting what he means by this

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

A widespread lack of public interest in

politics associated with a cynical evaluation of

politicians in general

The political message becomes less powerful

than the projected image. At worst this could be a means of

subverting democracy

Parties are marketed like high street

commodities and we become disempowered consumers responding only to the images on

the boxes

Packaging political debates serves to

manipulate the public

Overall there is increased public

knowledge and citizen participation hence greater government

accountability

The media oversimplify and trivialise political

issues

Politicians become more concerned with

their voice and appearance

It is simply the inevitable result of

new technology and is beneficial to audiences

The electorate gains by being better

informed and more aware of political

issues

The content of political debate comes

second to its presentation – images

dominate

Audiences are better able to assess the competence of

government ministers

A diminishing of the political process as

media distort as well as communicate

messages

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

THE MEDIA, THE STATE

AND THE POLITICAL PROCESS

THE STATE PLURALIST VIEW

NEO MARXIST VIEWMARIST VIEW

Advantages and disadvantages