10 Media and politics

Page 2: Origins of Political Information

• Types of Information Collection:

  • Direct: Personal experience through political participation and perception of reality.

  • Indirect: Communication through social circles and media.

• Media's Role: Media as a powerful tool for transmitted and constituted reality.

• Contemporary Example: Romanian Presidential Election Results.

  • Key figures: Călin Georgescu and Elena Lasconi.

  • Media coverage highlighted various candidates and perspectives.

Page 3: Development of Media Platforms

• Historical Evolution of Media:

  • Identification of ignorance in politics prior to mass media.

  • Printed Outlets: Books, newspapers, magazines.

  • Electronic Mass Media: Radio and television.

  • Digital Media: Internet, online news, and digital broadcasts.

  • Social Media: Interactive platforms facilitating dialogue and engagement.

Page 4: The Dual Function of Media

• Information Source and Public Forum:

  • Media stimulates public debate and political competition through diverse news.

  • Watchdog Role: Monitoring political power abuse and corruption.

  • Examples of Investigative Journalism:

  • Watergate: A case demonstrating media's oversight power.

• Limits: Ethical dilemmas such as the Spiegel affair; balancing confidentiality and right to privacy.

Page 5: Violation of Right to Privacy

• Challenges:

  • Confusion between public interest and curiosity.

  • Instances of privacy violations, e.g., paparazzi, leaked documents.

• Typical Violations: Defamation, slander, and libel.

  • Rarely adequately redressed:

    • Difficulty in obtaining relief commensurate with damages.

Page 6: The Impact of Media

• Media Use Paradigms:

  • User-Driven Interactions: Satisfying political interests and reinforcing choices.

  • Media Effects Paradigm: Influencing political choices; passive consumers who may be unaware of biases.

Page 7: The Selective Nature of Media

• Selection Bias:

  • Media selects, compresses, and highlights content, leading to potential distortion.

  • Factors in Selection: Political significance, popularity, internalization.

• Theories:

  • Priming Theory (Lippmann, 1922): Media’s role in perception without user awareness.

  • Framing Theory (Goffman, 1974): Media narratives shape interpretation of events.

Page 8: The Bias and Partisanship of Media

• Nature of Bias:

  • News interpretation often reflects values of the media outlet or particular agendas.

  • Acceptance of bias among consumers; however, plurality in media can mitigate bias.

Page 9: Factors Influencing Media Impacts

• Influencing Elements:

  • Family background, education, interests, and access to media.

  • Attitude towards critical thinking impacts media consumption.

• Spiral of Silence (Noëlle-Neumann, 1974): Tendency to remain silent if opinion diverges from dominant views.

Page 10: Trends in European and American Media Markets

• Consolidation: Increasing merges/acquisitions led to reduced diversity in media ownership.

• Key Figures: Media moguls exerting greater influence in politics.

• Regional Trends: Eastern Europe displays varying levels of political influence on media.

Page 11: Tabloidisation and Professionalisation

• Tabloidisation: Shift to soft news and entertainment over hard news; emphasis on scandals, emotions.

• Professionalism in Media: Use of catchy phrases and imaginative framing to attract attention.

  • Engagement with public sentiment via personalisation and informal content.

Page 12: Media Utilisation by Politicians

• Objectives of Politicians:

  • Information dissemination, narrative construction, and voter influence.

  • Various media genres include press releases, ads, debates, and social media interactions.

Page 13: Spin Doctors in Politics

• Role of Spin Doctors: Experts in communication who enhance client image and manage media narratives.

  • Focused on constructing favorable media portrayals and managing unfavorable news.

Page 14: Propaganda

• Definition: Originated from the Latin term for propagate; historically related to beliefs.

  • Characteristics: Use of manipulated information to convey biased views and invoke mobilization.

  • Example: The tactics of Goebbels's Ministry during the Nazi regime.

Page 15: Censorship

• Types of Censorship:

  • Legal: Control and regulation of sources.

  • Technical: Over internet and broadcast media.

  • Political: Governing the content of political discussions.

  • Self-censorship: Based on moral dilemmas and fear of repercussions.

Page 16: Social Media, AI, and Politics

• Digital Revolution: Rise of smartphones and internet access transforming information communication.

  • Efficiency of social media for political campaigning and mobilization.

  • Concerns regarding control over information, privacy, and the infiltration of AI in media.

Page 17: Media and Power

• Media's Role: Not a formal branch of power but an essential tool that shapes public opinion.

  • Impacts agenda setting and influences narratives in politics without accountability.

  • Importance: Ability to dictate public discourse and legislative focus.

Page 18: Important Debates and Interesting Interviews

• Debate Links:

  • Nixon-Kennedy, Johnson-Corbyn, Orbán Medgyessy, Gyurcsány-Orbán.

• Interview Links: High-profile interviews showcasing media engagement in politics.