Nowadays, it is comprehensible to hear that crowded citizens flourished on the street or gathered in front of the official government in order to advocacy their appeals towards government or pressing the ‘sluggish’ government. These phenomenons could be identified by social activities lead by pressure group and as the forms of expressing public opinion ( Grant, 1999:4). However, news media also reveals similar functions with pressure groups by attracting public attention and raising public awareness on certain issues, even influencing government’s decision on a great extent. This essay will mainly focus on analysising how pressure groups successfully utilize and affect news media in terms of enhancing the public attention to their campaigns which accompany with a few negative examples of pressure groups about misues news media. Besides, this essay will critically argue about the relationship between pressure groups and news media; some techniques exerted by pressure groups in media area and how news media reacted to pressure groups.
There are several types of pressure groups existing in current society which they possess different values and aims. In details, causes groups may eager to set up certain debates in political agenda and expected to receive effectual political action (Grant, 2000, P126); sectional groups might need to attract public attention to their problems but sometimes they prevent public attention in order to conducted via au fait consultative channels (Grant, 2000, P126); interest groups which easily to understand in its literal meanings used to upgrade their interest in political agenda by utilizing media (Grant, 2000, P127). Therefore, certain pressure groups require higher level of media assistance compared with others. Furthermore, despite of pressure groups relate to political agenda, environmental groups have established long-history relationship with news media that could be identified by large amount of environmental articles in media coverage (Hansen, 1993, P5). In details, most well-known environmental groups employed rich experience staff; those workers involved in making environmental news before or providing environmental information to journalists that will guarantee their campaign issues are similar or familiar with favourable news coverage (Hansen, 1993, P5). However, environmental groups are taken significant advantages in news coverage compared with other pressure groups due to the environmental news are more mediagenic and equivalent to news criteria (Hansen, 1993, P5). Despite of the pressure groups require news media at a variety level, different form of news media might present diverse effects depends on its functions and targeted audiences.
Another controlling method that is diffused through television, radio and written publications; is any reported information about world politics and news. Powerful political groups narrow people’s views of what is going on around them by tainting and twisting information to their own device. They decide what to say and when to say it, revealing as much or little information as desired, in ‘befitting’ instances; thus enabling them to hide information they consider deleterious to themselves, from the public. It also permits them to depict opponents in overly negative terms.
Many people have no interest in current events in the world or even their own country, and are more concerned about matters that are more trivial, and even if they were to pay a deal of attention, common news sources are often biased and don’t release information that would hurt a certain cause. It is in this way that the citizens are kept igno...
Through manipulation and lies, media manages to modify objective news into biased news in order to convince the public of what the media wants them to believe. The article, “How the Media Twist the News”, by Sheila Gribben Liaugminas discusses the major influence that news has on readers based on their choice of stories and words. “How the Media Twists the News” has borrowed from multiple other texts such as the books like Public Opinion and Liberty and News, news magazine writers such as Ruderman, and news networks like CBS through Bias, A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News and CNN to make her arguments valid and prove that the news is biased and that it does influence readers significantly because of it.
As we have seen the media has three functions when it come to the government. These functions or roles are gatekeeper, scorekeeper, and watchdog. These roles help to change policy, help politicians win or lose elections, and keep a check on the government. Interest groups are people joined together by a common cause who wish to change policy. Sometimes the can be use for the wrong ends, but they are still a vital part of the system. True public opinion can never be certain. Though many seek this out; it is always just out of reach. It is only when these opinions are evident in interest groups and the media that it can help shape governmental policy.
First, the role of the media is to represent the public and intervene between the public and the government. The media is a mirror, which re...
Firstly, one may think the size of a group is a factor and more people
The purpose of this research is to examine the pros and cons of electronic media used for political press agentry, which may help expose more politicians to the public about the political candidates and their campaign approaches. This will conceivably help enlighten and further the acknowledgement of the American civilians on the strategies that are used to create the governmental foundation. This research also will help further acknowledge the good and bad effects of press agentry within politics, beginning with some of the earliest forms of politics.
They regroup the television, the radio, and newspapers. Aware of the power they have on us, media influence our thoughts, our acts, and our ideas in order to serve their interests. It isn't the purpose of this essay, but it would certainly not be too complicted to demonstrate that medias have a close link with politicians and that each one serve the interests of the others.
Pressure Groups and Their Influence on the Government Britain is often referred to as a homogenous society as the public. tend to share similar political views. However, more recently, there. has been a decline in membership to political parties and an increase. in the membership of pressure groups. In this essay I will define pressure groups, information surrounding such as the amount of power.
One way in which government achieves this objective, is by its ability to misuse the media’s ability to set the agenda. Contrary to popular belief, media is in fact an enormous hegemony. In fact, separate independent news organizations do not exist. Rather than creating an independent structured agenda of their own, generally lesser smaller news organizations adapt to a prepared agenda, previously constructed by a higher medium. Based upon this information alone, it is quite apparent that media functions in adherence to the characteristics of a hierarchy.
In conclusion I have noted several methods of news media that the public has access to. Many personalities have different methods of getting their opinion to the public and some try to stick with one or two at the most. All of these methods greatly influence public opinion concerning politics and politicians. In this country, public opinion is incredibly important to the success of politicians or movements. If you don’t carry a significant number of people in this country your success as a politician is not going to happen. The biggest method people have to get their message out to the public is mass media. If the media decides they don’t like you the results can be devastating. It is almost as important to please the media as it is to please the American public! Public opinion is greatly influenced by the media.
Pressure groups are known to be small and extremely diverse formed on the basis of interest and activities, their functions give them a high public profile where minds are influenced and driven to make change. “A Pressure group is an organisation which seeks to influence the details of a comparatively small range of public policies and which is not a function of a recognised political party” (Baggott, 1995: p.2). An aim of pressure groups is to generate support which can influence political agendas; this can directly persuade the government to consider taking action. In this essay I will concentrate upon exploring on various issues on pressure groups, discussing the relationship between the groups, their use of the media and their status as “insiders” and “outsiders” in the political process. Pressure groups have two main types of groups the insiders and outsiders, which each promote a common cause with a different relationship with the media and political party making one as an unheard voice in the public sphere. To the public Pressure groups is another form where the public can engage in politics, participating directly in the political process. I will also intricate in this essay the growths of pressure groups due to the use of the media and their political engagement. The size of a group is a basic indicator of how much public support they get especially those that posse’s open membership, they mobilise through demonstrations, protest involving some non members through organised events. The different types of well known pressure grou...
"Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one." This quote by A.J. Liebling illustrates the reality of where the media stands in today's society. Over the past twenty years there has been an increase in power throughout the media with regard to politics. The media's original purpose was to inform the public of the relevant events that occurred around the world. The job of the media is to search out the truth and relay that news to the people. The media has the power to inform the people but often times the stories given to the public are distorted for one reason or another. Using slant and sensationalism, the media has begun to shape our views in society and the process by which we choose our leaders. There was once a time when the government used the media as a medium to influence voters, committees, communities etc. Recently, it has been the presidents of major media outlets that have not only exercised power over the public but also made their presences felt in government and in the halls of congress. When the word democracy is thrown about it usually has to do with the rights or original intentions for a group or organization. The first group intended to be influenced by the media was the informed voter. Political parties along with the government used a variety of media resources to persuade the voter or in effect receive a vote for their cause. Returning to the thought of ?democracy? the question is, what was the original intention of the media with relation to the theme of democracy and the informed voter? To analyze this thought thoroughly one must first grasp an understanding of the basic definition of democracy.
The Effects of Pressure Groups on the Government A pressure group is an organised interest group, which seek to influence the formulation and the implementation of public policy. In both the United Kingdom and the United States of America, membership to political parties has decreased, meanwhile membership to pressure groups have increased. Pressure groups differ from political parties in that they do not seek to win political office; in addition, they concern themselves with sectional policy rather than a wide range, and therefore pressure groups aim to protect or advance a shared interest. The first amendment of the US constitution claims citizens have the “right of speech, petition and association”. Seeing as the constitution is sovereign, it plays an essential role in protecting the rights of organised interests.
Althusser (1971) explains that, as an ideological state apparatus, media doesn’t use pressure as a way to bind society together under one dominant ideology, but instead uses the will of the people to make them accept the dominant ideology. However, media is also used as a way for people to challenge the dominant ideology. Newspapers, for example, will have articles that openly criticise and oppose the dominant ideology for what it is, whilst at the same time providing perspectives and opinions on different ideologies (such as feminism) that society can believe in. Although these alternate ideological perspectives exist, they are usually overlooked and only ever reach small audiences. Ideology can also help us understand the media because of the way in which it distributes ideology.