How the media programs present important political issues - Essay Example

How the media programs present important political issues. The media that consist of television and radio provide an overview of developments in research of political issues and campaigning. They present a research module in the field of political communication and the media, after which a summary of these special issues are provided. They also contain a number of future concerns in the political field (Debb 68). Since T.V and Radio are available to large population segments, political leaders, parties and candidates have more than often used them to communicate, inform, and connect to citizens.

Examples are shows like the shows on PBS, NPR, and CBS that are used mainly by politicians in presenting televised debates between themselves and in the process; they create an informative field to the listeners of which include citizens (Gallup 16). Nowadays the media is governed under democracy and are able to air any information regardless of the political stand of the party, unlike the past where many of the media houses were controlled by the government hence aired only necessary information.

Through the media networking capabilities, new information can rapidly be disseminated through the broadcasts as compared to the traditional mass media (Debb 63). These shows allow particularly politicians to develop individualized and personalized campaigns, of which are more or less detached from the party’s campaign. These shows also allow political parties to produce and increase visibility and interactivity. They also allow candidates and their political parties to inform citizens directly unlike the past when they used to be the agency to critique, mediate, and interpret on their behalf.

(Gallup 14). Although many citizens have access to radio and T.V, many use them for entertainment purposes. Even if they listen or watch these shows, they tend to already have an initial interest in politics, the politician or the party. These therefore make the programs to get interrupted to satisfy these needs by following these shows with entertainment and social utility programs (Debb 64).An example is the MRC‘s materials which deal with important political, social and cultural issues in America; abortion and human rights, affirmative action, child welfare, criminal justice or capital punishment, drug traffics and use as well as many others.

In a bout of these shows from the different media outlets, the popular topics of discussion within the politics field include areas such as the congress, election issues, presidential job approvals, taxes, political parties, moral issues and favorability and very little will be discussed about the economic status of the country even though this is the major concern amongst viewers and listeners (Gallup 14). There is a tendency of the press to play up and cover stories that are mainly sensational – car crashes, murders, kidnappings, sex (Debb 60).

This is because they think these issues will sell among listeners and viewers and not because they think it would be news to them. Reports from ABC, CBS, and NBC show that a number of stories about the government and politics in general dropped to one in five from one in three. The reporting on politics and national affairs has recently been declined by 25% while the number in celebrity and entertainment stories has doubled (Gallup 14). A major study conducted by Joan Shorenstein Center on Press, public policy and Politics found that the level of peoples knowledge about candidates position rose and fell later was based on the degree at which these media shows covered important issues (Debb 65).

Works Cited Debb, Jackson. "Current Problems In The Media." 9 February 2014. Daily Source. 13 March 2014 . Gallup. "U.S political confidence." 2014. GALLUP economy. 13 March 2014 .