The US media and politics are two entities that cannot be separated in the modern world. Though they are different, they heavily depend on each other, and their impact on the public is immense. Media has a great deal of influence on society and politics in America. The primary role of media is to inform and educate people about everyday life events. For decades, advancement in technology has shaped access to information and created various types of media. This expanded the power level on how the media exploit information on politics and report to the citizens. This essay will discuss the power of media in American politics focusing on the book “AmGov” by Christine Barbour.
Power has significant control over how information is assembled and released to the American people. Therefore, the source of information should be verified before one can trust and believe in the reporting. The country is full of pervasive and controversial reporting from various media that do not track their facts and produce false versions of news that cannot be traced (Barbour, 2019). In the contemporary world, sources of news and information are critical to any individual. Most Americans depend on both the internet and conventional sources to access local and world news. The consumption of local and international information differs depending on the demographic arrangements of the country. The young generation and many urban dwellers rely on the internet and social media platforms to exchange ideas and interact with other people. Most citizens in rural areas and aged groups use past sources of information such as Televisions and print media more than digital news sources.
A mediated citizen in today’s America is a person who constantly receives information from multiple channels that can influence their political views but can create a narrative from those channels. They are well versed with the various information on different topics, such as political trends in the country, and are better equipped to make essential judgments (Barbour, 2019). These individuals are informed on government activities and the current scenes across different platforms and can report their awareness based on the sources. With the ease of obtaining and spreading information due to accessibility, the public is better positioned to influence and recreate reporting from distinct channels.
Journalists are tasked with researching, acquiring, verifying, and delivering news to the community. They are storytellers who report information about everything happening in the world. In addition, journalists oversee what information the public gets and determines what news and stories to be covered. The role of a journalist is to act as gatekeepers, disseminators, investigators, and public mobilizers. Modern journalists are essential in ensuring all major social issues are covered and aired to the people promptly. Americans should not trust 21st-century journalists without verifying the source of information. This is because today’s media is commercial biased, and journalistic judgment and ethics are often traded with the imperative to turn a profit (Martin & McCrain, 2019). There is pressure to keep and maintain many subscribers, making journalists light up, dramatize, and turn reports into infotainment and sensational pieces to attract and tease the public. To keep the audience interested, they deliberately alter the data collected to attract more crowds and maximize profits. They do not dig deeper in the quest for facts or respond to criticism because their report is based on personal views and agendas to pass to the people.
The United States is a democratic country implying that citizens vote to elect leaders, and laws are changed based on the majority rule. Voters rely on media to help them in developing opinions and determine the kind of leader to elect. The media uses various outlets through which the public receives news such as radio, television, advertising, and the internet to portray the negative qualities of leaders while praising the virtues of others. The people working in media can help shape the political narrative by deciding what news the public needs to hear. There are many political stories and potential news available for media to report than time and space. This forces them to select and cover stories that are important and most appealing to the public. The rates of aspiring leaders can rise or drop depending on the level and the media outlet selected impacting the people.
The media creates convincing stories to manipulate people to accept the political ideologies of various leaders. They create narratives that are not fact-based but are meant to get the attention of the majority. The powers that media use to spin stories are agenda setting, framing, focusing on the competitive aspects of politics rather than actual decisions. In addition, media use excessive press coverage to embarrass or expose scandals subjects to the public to attract and affirm confident leaders. This is done by using short and memorable lines taken out of context and repeated several times in different outlets, from political speeches and utterances of leaders to the public.
Politicians control the news by creating their press platforms to disseminate and promote their versions of events. They develop information that they want their supporters to believe and live by perfecting the art of political communication. In addition, political leaders campaign for news management and ensure tight control of access to the political class. There are leaks by secretly revealing confidential information to the press that serves various purposes like gauging and getting public reaction towards a policy (Nickerson, 2017). Citizens can control and reclaim the political narrative through the voice invested in them by the internet. The ability that technology has presented and the power to get information with ease and in real-time. Social media platforms give the public place to raise and join their views against political ideologies and narratives meant to destroy the US democracy.
In conclusion, media has been proven to rule American politics on different occasions. It is through media that politicians get to influence and manipulate most voters. The information the public has is reinforced by the media creating a solid belief in them without referencing the reality of the news. Journalists help understand what information is essential and the facts about the reporting. They mobilize people towards pushing different agendas and objectives that are politically developed. Politicians control the media by owning and creating media channels to help report the information they want to the public. Also, they frame stories and make citizens pay attention and trust that confident leaders are losing popular support through election reporting substance to the reality. These contents may be exciting, but ultimately, they are devoid and meant to manipulate the public. Therefore, the American media is powerful in influencing politics and undermining the leaders that the people elect.
References
Barbour, C. (2019). AmGov: long story short. Sage Cq Press.
Martin, G. J., & McCrain, J. (2019). Local news and national politics. The American Political Science Review, 113(2), 372-384.
Nickerson, M. (2017). Messengers of the Right: Conservative Media and the Transformation of American Politics. Journal of American History, 104(2), 538–539.