POWER OF MEDIA (By- Nandini Sharma)
POWER OF
MEDIA
Authored
By- Nandini Sharma
Abstract
In times like today, where the media
has taken the world by storm and is heavily influencing how people think,
speak, and even develop opinions and judge current events, it is safe to argue
that the media also plays an undoubtedly influential part in the electoral
process.
We will see how this is done in this
research paper, as well as the fact that the media's participation in elections
is not always positive; it may also be detrimental. In order to measure the impact
of media on people and its power in today's times, it's vital to recognize its
part in one of the most crucial procedures of choosing a government
(elections). As one goes through the research paper, we gain an awareness of
the media's negative and beneficial impact on elections, as well as its current
position in today's times.
Introduction
Outside factors, such as print,
radio, television, and the internet, can, nonetheless, inevitably impact an
individual's view or judgment. The role of the media in elections is a relevant
topicin every democratic country on the planet. Every election's outcome and
the fate of each candidate are unquestionably influenced by the media. It is no
secret that the media has a significant influence on people's minds when it
comes to any problem or news, and can easily influence a person's attitude on
anything. Every headline, every story they cover, has an impact on the general
public. As a result, the media is an important aspect of elections because it
informs the public about a party's activities and the election process,
allowing them to establish their own opinions. It can be seen how the media is
a part of everyone's day-to-day existence and how it influences our opinion
formation process. As a citizen of a democratic country, one understands the necessity
of elections in maintaining the democratic country's fundamental rule. The
media serves as a transparent medium between the people of this country and the
government that administers the country in this process. It helps in showcasing
the current government's qualities and flaws, as well as what it is doing for
the development and growth of all citizens. This is the responsibility of the
media, and it is why it must present an unbiased and complete picture of the
situation. If the media is transparent, it can help build the appropriate
viewpoint and accurate picture of the current government so that voters can select
the right individuals for the betterment of the country. When it comes to
elections, the Election Commission, as well as other interested agencies, go to
great lengths to ensure that the voting process is free and fair. As a result,
the media can assist in making that process more transparent by contributing
appropriately. As a result, the purpose of this article is to look into how the
media influences the election process and why it is seen as one of the most
important tools in election outcomes by political entities.
Media
The term "media" first
appeared in the 1920s, although it referred to something that had its roots
much further back. The printing press, invented in the late 15th century, gave
rise to some of the first forms of mass communication, allowing for the
widespread distribution of books and newspapers which was previously
impossible. The media has had a crucial role in moulding public perceptions of
a range of key problems, both by the information they display and the
interpretations they make of it. They also play a significant role in moulding
modern culture by selecting and portraying a specific set of beliefs, values,
and traditions as true which ultimately leads to the
masses blindly following said beliefs.
We can say that, by displaying a particular vision of reality, they can
influence reality to conform to that perception.
The media is an integral aspect of
our lives and has a significant impact on our society. Because of global
connectivity, media is becoming increasingly important. As a result, each of us
must become aware of the media's influence. This enables us to evaluate all of
the information we receive regularly. It is important to remember that the
media not only communicates but also offers their viewpoint on every event that
occurs. We must evaluate the information we get and draw appropriate
conclusions.
Positive
Role Of Media
Ideally, media operations would be
limited to election coverage. However, in reality, the media sector is occupied
with polarising convictions, and it is increasingly loud in its support or
opposition to political events such as the voting process. It is frequently observed
that the media are more actors than observers in political and electoral
campaigns, exerting enormous power over agenda-setting, the selection and
treatment of campaign events, candidates, and themes, and even overt support
for a political party. In the form of print, radio, and television broadcasts,
the media is employed as a manipulative instrument to affect public opinion and
behaviour, resulting in public disputes. the media also plays other roles in
enabling full public participation in elections:
Ø by educating voters on how to
exercise their democratic rights;
Ø by reporting on the development of an
election campaign;
Ø by providing a platform for the
political parties and candidates to communicate their message to the electorate;
Ø by providing a platform for the
public to communicate their concerns, opinions, and needs, to the
parties/candidates, the government, and other voters, and to start a discussion
on these issues;
Ø by allowing the parties and
candidates to debate with each other;
Ø by reporting results and monitoring
vote counting;
Ø by scrutinizing the electoral
process, itself, including electoral management, to evaluate the fairness of
the process, its efficiency, and its probity;
Ø by providing information that, as far
as possible, avoids instigating language, helping to prevent election-related
violence.
In many ways, media can also ensure
democratic electoral processes generally fall into one of the following
categories:
Ø Media as transparency/watchdog
Ø Media as a campaign platform
Ø Media as an open forum for debate and
discussion/public voice
Ø Media as a public educator
Ø Fact-checking and monitoring of polls
is also a crucial role that media plays in keeping transparency with the
audience about the elections.
Negative Role
Of Media
The media can also have significant harm
to the election process. As a memorable example of the bad consequences media
may have during elections, many observers refer to the role media played during
the 2007 Kenyan presidential election and the outbreak of violence that
followed, which resulted in 1,133 people being killed and over 600,000 Kenyans
being displaced. Roots of democracy that are built on the right to freedom of
expression and elections to be a fair process can be suppressed by the biasness
of media, which can be noticed in our current media space.
For example, many major media
channels appeal to partisan audiences, reflecting political biases in their
reporting. This phenomenon is driven by profit: because today's news consumers
can get basic facts from a quick internet search, many publications have
differentiated themselves by shifting from straight news to context and
analysis, resulting in half-baked stories that can negatively impact the
audience's perception of the news. Unfortunately, the media's increasing
political tactics appear to be resulting in increased public divisiveness as
well. Many of us expose ourselves to selective media sources that don't
substantially challenge our worldviews which ultimately results in selective
exposure of a consumer to the news.
We need to recognize that there is a
link between selective exposure and the country's developing political split.
This divide is linked to the growth of increasingly politicized media outlets. Journalists
from various channels also spread biased viewpoints by tagging complex
campaigns and situations into "scripts." The mainstream media tends
to view elections through the lens of competition. Campaigns are covered
similarly to sporting events, with a focus on who is winning, who is losing,
who is up, who is down, and how they are doing in the polls.
Media
Biasness
The phrase "media biasness"
refers to persistent personal preferences taken by media that go against
journalistic standards, rather than a single journalist's or article's point of
view. The media is now viewed as the fourth pillar of democracy universally.
Media ownership is becoming increasingly consolidated, and there are concerns
that ownership may impact editorial control as well. The law, on the other
hand, continues to safeguard and promote press freedom as an important
component of freedom of speech and expression.
One of the disadvantages of the
media's job is its bias against specific people or organizations. It is the
perceptions of journalists and news producers in the mass media when it comes
to the coverage of events and stories. Journalists are unable to report on all
available stories and information, nor can they link selected facts into a
coherent narrative. There are various national and international watchdogs and organizations
that report on media bias.
The media has a major influence on
how the general people think. Depending on the goal, they can shape or change
public opinion in a variety of ways.
Candidates that spend more money on
television and media exposure have a greater impact on public opinion and can
sway vote banks. The fact that today's campaigns are more focused on the
individual than the party has strengthened the media's power. Candidates and
political parties rely on the media for media access, hence it plays an
important role in the electoral process.
There is a common assumption that the
media has a strong political bent. Editorials, which have primarily controlled
how people regard particular media, are one area where newspapers do take a
viewpoint. The public's view of a biased newspaper can harm journalists as a
collective. When the public believes that all media outlets are the same, one
publication's biased news can tarnish the reputation of all media outlets.
There are also many other tactics
that media can use to influence its audience such as:
Visual
Communication
Visuals have an even greater impact
on most people than text on a page. Images, particularly of political
candidates, transmit emotions, actions, reality, and credibility, according to
visual communication studies. These visuals leave an indelible effect on the
voting public. The photographs that news organizations choose to publish, as
well as the size and layout considerations, can influence voter opinions – and
expose probable bias.
What To
Cover And Not Cover
The first way the media gets engaged
in elections is by deciding which candidates to cover and how much coverage
they will give them. These decisions can have a significant impact on voter
impressions. As difficult as it may seem, name recognition is the most
important factor in elections. According to research, certain candidates may be
overlooked because they fail to pique the media's interest.
This is why the content that a media
outlet chooses to disclose and not disclose may have a significant impact on
the public's formation of opinion on any subject.
This disproportionate coverage is
motivated by economics rather than political prejudice in the media. News organizations
publish content that will attract traffic in a competitive 24/7 news cycle.
And, thanks to his pre-existing celebrity and ability to stir up controversy,
creating a half-baked narrative to attract viewers' attention and improve the
channel's TRP is a simple chore.
Two Ways On
How Media Can Influence Election Outcome
There is a general idea that the
media shape and affect voter perceptions, as well as reinforce their beliefs
about which political party or candidate they should support. Several studies
have been conducted to understand the mechanisms behind the media's role in
influencing election outcomes for the same rationale. There are two ways in
which the media might affect the political process:
1) Persuasion
In persuasion, partisan media sends
out biased messages to a target population hoping to persuade most of them into
voting for a particular candidate.
2) Selective
exposure
According to Prior, certain
recipients of the message who are aware of the communication's bias are less
likely to be affected because they question the information's trustworthiness.
Those who are less knowledgeable, on the other hand, are more prone to believe
the message. This effect is linked to cognitive biases, which are activated
when a stimulus designed to affect a target population is used. This potential
of the media to sway crowds has been seen in political campaigns and propaganda
throughout history, most notably during the emergence of the Nazi government in
Germany. However, ethical norms in today's media mean that such apparent bias
is no longer an option. Furthermore, modern voters are becoming more conscious
of the manipulative nature of any biased information and may take action
against media outlets. Partisan media use partisan
selective exposure to avoid eliciting
opposition by distributing tailored messages that are truthful but structured
to evoke a specific response from the target group. Political polls, for
example, are one of the earliest types of polls done in polling history and can
be called a selective exposure strategy. While polls are valuable in predicting
election outcomes, making the results public may sway some voters, particularly
those who are undecided. According to studies, there are two ways in which
political polls influence real election results: strategic voting and the
contagion effect. Scholars believe that people are encouraged to strategically
vote for the party or candidate with the best odds, as suggested by the survey,
or to get carried away by popular opinion. The media has been recognized to
have a considerable impact on public opinion and behavior due to its ability to
reach a vast audience. It is only reasonable to assume that the media's impact
extends to election outcomes by affecting the election process in the same way
that it has influenced public opinion on political objectives. It is,
therefore, it is safe to conclude that the media is indeed influential in the
election process and, if left unchecked, could significantly affect the
election outcome.
Importance
Of Media In A Democratic Country
In a democratic country, the media
plays a critical role. Media can be used to raise your voice against something,
support a cause, make positive and lasting changes in society, and share a
narrative that is important to the world. Candidates can use it to their
advantage in a variety of ways during elections.
During the campaign, election
candidates will typically use relevant media to broadcast their asserted
declarations of future government policies and to communicate the path to better
citizens' lives. It's also a tactic for wresting power from opposing parties,
which could impact people’s voting decisions. The media has a responsibility to
inform citizens about competing political parties, their programs, and
candidates, as well as to contribute to the shaping of public opinion. This
could include official voter education materials provided by the election
management organization; alternatively, or in addition, the media could create
their voter education materials.
Fair and objective reporting and
information dissemination are the overall goals of media coverage during
election campaigns in democracies. This can be accomplished, for example,
through a fair distribution of broadcasting time among all contending parties
and candidates, (voluntary) agreements on fair news, reporting, and non-news programs,
or debates between party leaders. First and first, every political party and/or
independent candidate must have access to the media, particularly radio and
television, because most voters learn about politics through the media. This
means that a broadcaster cannot sway
public opinion by treating one candidate or party differently than another. Nonetheless, the broadcaster
frequently selects who gets access to debates and discussion programs. The
ruling party occasionally manipulates the media to report in their favor.
Manipulation can occur during the creation of programs, reports, and news, as
well as conversation and non-news programs like pure entertainment shows and
movies. The government may broadcast propaganda under the pretext of impartial
public information. The risk of government power being abused for political
reasons can be reduced if laws and regulations governing the role of the media
in election campaigns are in place. In a democratic environment, the media also
plays an important role in revealing the truth to the masses, including during
elections. If done correctly, media aids in keeping a sense of reality with the
audience on the current scenario and aids in giving the audience a better
understanding of the truth. It assists the audience in exercising their right
to know the truth, particularly during election seasons.
Democracy is the most equitable form
of government currently in use. It enables citizens to elect their rulers and
subsequently exercise control over their actions as public officials. In this
process, the media plays a critical role. Journalists must strive to tell the
truth about the lives of politicians and show them as they are. In this way,
every citizen can evaluate politicians. According to each one’s criteria, he or
she will vote for the one he or she finds most honest and capable.
Conclusion
The media has a significant impact on
democracy. It's also known as democracy's backbone. It provides citizens with
information that empowers them. The media, too, organizes debates on current
events and opposing policies so that multiple points of view on the same
subjects can be expressed. While the courts have underlined the significance of
a responsible press, they have also emphasized the importance of a free press.
In some ways, it has to be viewed as a responsibility-laden right. As a result,
representatives of highly responsible and respected members of the media must
set higher legal reporting standards and encourage the rest of the media
fraternity to adopt them. As a result, media is critical in a democratic
society. In election years, the media can play both a beneficial and
detrimental influence. Transparency and obeying the essential duties of
journalism can have a favorable impact on an audience's opinion. However, if
the media is biased and untruthful in its coverage of the story, it may be at a
disadvantage.
During elections, the media serves as
the people's voice by providing the public's point of view. It can also serve
as a channel by allowing candidates to communicate with the masses and promote
their ideas for the people's development and advancement. In any case, it is
clear that the media plays a significant role in elections and can have both a
positive and bad impact.