pluralist views

pluralist definition

• term used to describe theories of the media that were popular in the first 70-80 years of the twentieth century

• their views represent the perspective of media professionals such as newspaper editors and journalists and there is less empirical evidence to support the approach

diversity and choice

• they argue that there is a lot of diversity and choice in the media where the audience can pick and choose which part of the media to engage with due to their values and interests

• they argue that the representations of social groups will reflect the diversity of society and in any vase, the audience is active in whether they agree with media representations or not

• the argue that there is a range of ways that different views can be seen in the media e.g - russell brand alternative news broadcast ‘the trews’

• however, opposition would argue that choice is limited through the powerful in society , including advertisers who excerise significant control over media content including representations

• marxists would argue that alternative media does not gain a wide audience as they do not have the money to compete with the globalist capitalist organisations that can afford to spend millions of pounds getting their views across

supply and demand

• argue that media professionals and owners are governed by the markets they serve and are in competiton for customers

• they must compete in the market place and this wouldnt be possible if they didnt represent different social groups in a way that is fair and balanced - the media supplies what the audience demands

• media changes as society does and it reflects the changes within society

whale

• a former newspaper reporter and supporter of the pluralist position

• ‘the broad shape and nature of the press is determined by no-one but its readers’

media as skilled professionals

• media professionals are alert to the responsibilities that they have to present society in a fair manner and to represent all different social groups

• pluralism suggests that if different social groups were represented unfairly or in a sterotypical way, then people would stop watching

• they argue that the audience can see through unequal or disrciminating stereotypes and would therefore stop consuming the media if they didnt like it e.g feminine magazines

• pluralists also argue that the self regulation they undergo is evident of intergrity and trustworthiness e.g in a scandal in news of the world, employees were caught hacking into the phones of celebrities

• the newspaper was closed with high profile media professionals being arrested and some jailed

• media can control negative behaviour on the part of their members

media as a fourth estate

• The media is known as the fourth estate of democracy because of its role in protecting democracy and freedom

• The media gives access to information that is an essential part of a democracy

• it is seen as providing information that enables citizens to make responsible , informed decisions rather than acting out of ignorance or misinformation

• The media performs a checking function to ensure that those elected carry out the will of the people

• The media monitors the political process in order to eliminate political abuse

• williams - argues that journalists provide an essential service in a democratic society in that they offer the information that people need in order to participate in political and cultural life

• if the press was subject to censorship then they wouldnt be allowed to critisise the government - free press is therefore vital

• examples such as hacking incidents only serve to demonstrate that the media cannot be trusted to act in a professional way that fairly represents different social groups

support for pluralism

• indirect theories of media effects such as the two step flow model provide empirical support for pluralist ideas about media representations

• ‘audiences are seen as capable of manipulating the media in an infinite variety of ways according to their prior needs and dispositions and as having access to what halloran calls the ‘plural values of society’ enabling them to ‘accomodate or reject’ ( curran and gurevitch)