The effects of mass media in politics are vast, encompassing various channels and events. For instance, the media can be utilized to influence the outcome of an election by determining the airtime given to a candidate; they can also distort information or twist it to alter public opinion. Tulsidas ke guru kaun the?
This post will discuss how mass media has influenced elections in different ways throughout time and how this impacts recent political events. By understanding what the media has done in the past, we might be able to better understand what it is doing now and into the future.
1. An examination of the United States’ 2004 Presidential Election
The 2004 Presidential election was one of the most controversial in history. A majority of Americans disagreed with how the media treated certain candidates and issues, particularly those from third parties, as well as how they were portrayed by news outlets. In fact, it was reported that an overwhelming majority of Americans claim to be affected by media bias (Kerstein, 2006), and President Bush came out a slight winner in a majority of these cases.
a. Campaign Coverage
The Democratic Party and its candidate John F. Kerry accused the media of being biased toward George W. Bush and his campaign throughout this period. Kerry’s campaign even stated that their candidate was treated unfairly by the media, who they believe provided biased coverage and less airtime to John Kerry than they provided to George Bush.
b. Bush and Gore
Amazingly, to come out of the election as a winner, both Bush and Gore were given excessive coverage in the media. John Kerry was given less coverage than his opponent despite having the same level of support; in fact, since the Al Gore/George Bush 2000 debate, Kerry had seen a slight rise in popularity while Bush’s popularity declined (Kerstein, 2006).
2. An examination of the 2000 Presidential Election
The official numbers showed that Clinton gained more votes than any other candidate since Ronald Reagan in 1980. However, this was likely not because of the popular polling data but because many Americans claim to believe that media bias is at play with how they were portrayed (Kerstein; 2004).
3. An examination of the 2004 Congressional Election
The 2004 election was one of the most controversial Presidential elections in recent history. Although the official numbers showed Bush being elected by winning around 3 million more votes than Kerry, a surprising majority of Americans stated that they were upset with how they were portrayed and what was said about them by the media (Kerstein, 2006). Despite this, the media overwhelmingly supported George Bush; he benefited greatly from this in his election and was able to portray himself as a hero for his stance on Iraq.
4. Examining the French Presidential Election: 2002-2004
In 2002, both candidates provided differing opinions on immigration issues. However, the media gave no coverage to these issues, nor did they show a lack of bias by portraying both candidates equally (Kerstein; 2004).
5. Examining the 2000, 2002 and 2004 Presidential Elections in America
George W. Bush was portrayed as a hero in his campaign and as President. He was portrayed as a successful President who had created jobs and reduced terrorism in the world (Kerstein; 2004). However, this would be an incorrect portrayal due to his poor decisions since becoming President.
6. How the media impacts elections
The media has come to have a great impact on politics. They can sway voter opinions and in some cases, they have helped select the next President (Kerstein; 2004). With all of this power, it is not surprising that the media portrays candidates unfairly at times and in ways that they believe will benefit them. This could suggest that we need to watch carefully how the media treats political candidates and their issues because they may be shaping their views for or against these candidates.
7. What the media can learn from past elections
The media needs to be more careful with how they portray candidates because they can have a great influence on the outcome of an election. This influence has been shown in many examples and we need to ensure that such power is not misused. It is clear that candidates are upset about the way they are portrayed, as well as what the media chooses to cover, so this is something considered carefully by both parties.
8. Final Thoughts and Analysis
The role of mass media in politics is vast and complex. It can be used to sway public opinion and even to help choose the next President. Since this is the case, we must be careful with how we use it and we need to ensure that our candidates are portrayed fairly. We also need to ensure that whatever is covered, it does not misrepresent a candidate and his or her views, which seems to happen often in the media today.
