COM 355 Communications & Media

Influence of Mass Media on Politics
Kelly Shelton
COM 320
Abstract
The role of media in politics is highly attributed by the ability to influence on people’s opinions towards political actors. Mass media is the main source of information to a large population of people in the world and thus is better placed in changing their opinions through coverage of information. Political actors gain their influence over the people by having a close relationship with mass media. Through the mass media, they are able to sway the public opinion towards their policies. The power of mass media in political platform can be used in various forms among them influencing policy change and also in gaining political mileage by political actors.
Introduction
The need to establish the extent of media influence over political outcomes has been a pressing issue for a long period of time. There is a general census among many researchers that mass media is a powerful tool that determines political outcomes all over the world (Riffe, Lacy, S, & Fico, 2005). Some claim mass media is a basic tool often used by the elites in society to influence political outcomes in their favor (Andersen, 2008). Mass media has a great influence over people globally since it is the major source of information to the people and can easily determine their reaction towards any raised issues (Walgrave & Aelst, 2004). Political |information forms a basic part of news coverage by the use of media, including the social media where political information is transmitted as people interact. This paper seeks to look at the influence of mass media on political outcomes in regard to shaping public policies, swaying public opinions as well as determining the outcomes of political elections.
Power of mass media
Mass media has the ability to affect people’s perception of social norms. On the other hand, Mass media plays a major role in forming and directing people’s behavior (Gamble, 2004). Coverage of information by the mass media influences people’s reaction towards that particular information. Mass media provides coverage of information that few people directly experience and makes happenings from around the world observable and meaningful to the public. The influence of mass media on political outcomes is basically a result of its power to public platform. Mass media has become a basic part of life to many individuals all over the world. Media access has increased especially due to the fact that mass media exists in various forms, which include print media like newspapers and magazines, Internet, cable television and portable devices such as smart phones or tablets with Internet access among others. (Gamble, 2004). Media is the main source of information for the majority of people and it being used to educate people through online tutorial. The power of media is its ability to influence human thinking and change their perception on how they relate among the members of the ...