Journalism, Mass Media and Communication: How They Influence Politics - Essay Example

This article dwells on the artistic licenses that are granted to media in their depiction of current events or events of popular concern. This article looks at the influence of current events as popularized by print and mass media on politics on mass media, which are films. The topics chosen: * Media and the private lives of public figures * Cataclysmic predictions and the political viewpoint. The article reviews and reflects the information and the accuracy of depiction of similar concepts in movies and the overall appeal and influence of media on the mind of the public.

Media and the Private lives of Public figures Media hype on personal lives of politicians is always viewed from a very judgemental standpoint based on standards set by media on its own and emulating the public’s viewpoints. Can media cause long term damaging effects or does the public really have a short memory. It is true that media only states and exposes what the people want to hear. In this case, it is the image of the perfect candidate for the presidential position. In America itself it has been researched that a 60% of Americans are concerned with the family values that their Presidential elect upholds.

The moral standpoints maintained by people in power in a way indicate to the people the character of their candidate and also an insight into the quality of their reign. The family values which are adjudicated by having a strong and steady family is important to the minds of the people. Whether this affects the political prowess of the person remains to be seen and still unproven “It is not just that one can form private friendships in public places a la Marks's (1994) intimate co-workers, but that relations of friendship are but one of the many ways in which the "public sphere" can be broken up into private enclosures” (Fahey 1995:690)  Tony Fahey in his article talks about the juncture where private life crosses over to the public and this when applied to public figures is further enhanced.

As a public figure there are many “cross-cutting, context-specific zones of privacy” as dictated by media coverage. His article although reflects on the situation in Ireland the application is very much there in the public mindset as illustrated in the movie of a life of a political figure crossing over to the realm of public criticism or interference as the case may be. The movie “The American President”(1995) is one of the better-made movies on American politics depicting the president elect as a man that all can empathize with.

The President played by Michael Douglas is a lonely yet charming widower with a teenage daughter inculcated by very high moralistic an ethical values which he brings with him in his job as a politician. The twist in the plot happens when he is smitten with a lobbyist, Sydney, played by Annette Benning. The film goes on to educate the viewer on how the presidential office really works on protocol and bureaucracy issues all of which are quite insightful and factual. The crux of the film however is his romantic involvement with Sydney and how the press goes on a smear campaign to dig up her past and ridicule the whole affair.

The media also goes one step further and creates a public furore by questioning his capability as the parent of a motherless teenager and how this would affect her life. A moralistic standpoint is brought in where the