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Lesson 3  Media, Socialization, and Public Opinion

Democracy and Media and Politics

The Media and Democracy

A democracy relies on an informed public, and no entity provides more information for the public than the media. A free press (or a press that is able to disseminate information without fear of government retribution) is one of the signs that a democracy is functioning effectively. The media can play several key roles for the public:

• Educative Role - keeping people educated about different facets of government and politics
• Watchdog Role - the media role of investigating and reporting on government and public affairs
• Socialization Role - the media role of helping introduce the public to information and cultural values

The struggle between the media and democracy is that the increasing level of media power is not necessarily being used for the good of the public. The media has become increasingly partisan and divisive making it difficult for the public to discern what is unbiased news and what is political propaganda. We have returned to colonial times when the press was simply a means to convince the public of a particular political position.

Media Bias

Most people believe that the job of the media is to report the news in an objective, or unbiased, fashion. However, the public believes that the media has become increasingly biased in the way that the cover news. In 2009, a Pew Center for the People & the Press survey showed the following:

What percent of Americans believe...

• The press is politically biased - 60%
• The stories in the media are often inaccurate - 63%
• Media stories tend to favor one side - 74%
• Media are influenced by powerful interests and people - 74%

It is apparent that the public at large does not trust the media. However, there is an irony to this lack of trust. As a public, we tend to believe news that is consistent with our point of view, while we largely ignore (or openly challenge) news that is in opposition to our views. So, basically, we are what we watch. Unfortunately for us, media coverage has become increasingly negative over the last few years as attack journalism has become increasingly more common during our election cycles (and even during non-election years). Attach journalism is an approach to reporting where the reporter takes an adversarial position towards candidates and elected officials.

Self-Identified Republicans & Democrats Television diagram - http://www.pewresearch.org/

How the Media Covers Politics

When it comes to covering politics, the media receives criticism from all sides. The media receives low marks from candidates, parties, interest groups, and the public at large. According to political scientist Thomas Patterson, one reason for this is the tendency of the media to cover politics as a game. Patterson and others argue that reporters are taught that the most important element in covering political stories is conflict.

Politics provides elements of drama and conflict that fit into the news demands of most media organizations. In this sense, politics is treated by the media like a game. Whether it is a political campaign, a legislative debate over policy, or a Supreme Court decision, there will always be two sides; just as in a tennis or boxing match.

This approach to coverage often leads to very negative news coverage, which in turn can turn off the public and encourage low voter turnout. The media are often criticized for emphasizing scandal, mistakes, misstatements and negative campaigning related to candidates. 

Of course, journalists defend their coverage. They do this in two ways: they emphasize that it is in the public's interest to know all that they can about politics, both positive and negative; and they maintain that they are professionals and maintain the highest standards of news selection.

Please see below for some key terms:

• Libel - The defamation of the character of a person in print. Slander is an oral defamation. In American law, it is usually of an individual because it is hard to determine what defames a group.
• Negative campaigning - The use of personal attacks to vilify the character or policy positions of the opposing candidate(s) (a form of argumentum ad hominem) instead of defeating them by means of rational argument.
• Skew - To make uneven. A statistical distribution of votes can be skewed by being predominantly cast toward one side. Negatively, a description of a candidate or of his (or her) position on issues is skewed if it is interpreted in a slanted or distorted way to make it appear more extreme than it really is.