The Mass Media and Its Roles in Influencing Society - Term Paper Example

Mass media and its role in society The commonly used term ‘mass media’ is used to refer to numerous institutions and individuals that differ in method and purpose as they distribute information to the masses. In general usage, the term has been considered to define groups who make up the communications profession in both the entertainment and news industries on television, in newspapers, on radio talk shows and elsewhere. Ideally, mass media is expected to disseminate the news to the people as it happens and without a great deal of interference or interpretation. The specific role of the media in society is often debated, including the acceptable level if individual interpretation and analysis, but what is not argued is that access to information is essential to the health of a democratic society. Newspapers, radio, television and the internet all permit citizens the opportunity to make informed choices about the world they live in and serves as part of the checks and balances of a society, a ‘fourth branch of government.’ Mass media is necessary as its existence also ensures that those elected to public office are held accountable for the decisions they make. The media also serves as a source of entertainment as the line drawn between news efforts to amuse and sources of entertainment attempting to inform is crossed continuously. Media acts as the link between people’s personal lives and events outside what they encounter in their everyday routine. People in North Dakota might not realize the severity of the oil spill being experienced by people living in the gulf coast states, for example, if the media didn’t make this information available to them. Because of this connection, mass media serves as an important vehicle in the understanding of how society functions. The media reflects and reports, and as some speculate, shapes society thus an understanding of these venues of information is vital to the understanding of our civilization itself. This discussion will address what impact the mass media has in its role within society. Americans absorb themselves in the mass media to a tremendous degree, spending more than half their leisure time (other than eating, sleeping, or working) engrossed in various media outlets. The average person spends approximately 3,400 hours a year on media venues, or about 40 percent of their total leisure time, engaged with the media in some form or another. The majority of that time is spent watching television within the home. On average, people spend more time with media than they do sleeping (2,900 hours, 33 percent of their available time in a day) or working (2000 hours, 23 percent of their available time in a day). “In America today, young people spend more time in front of the television than they do in class. By the time an average American graduates from high school, he or she will have spent about 12,000 hours in class and about 19,000 hours watching the tube” (Heibert 2001). So it must be safe to assume that Americans view the media as a trusted source of information or, at the very least, a trusted friend. Americans consider it as an entity that protects our democracy by ensuring a transparent nature that exposes the powers that be to public scrutiny while informing us of the important events that are taking shape in our world. The media can also, by these statistics, be presumed to be a trusted friend, opening a world of enlightenment to the comfort of our living rooms. However, this is not the case according to studies conducted by the Pew Research Center. Americans are hardly optimistic about the influence of the media on the country and its ability to solve problems. In the United States, only 31 percent of the population has a positive opinion of the media as compared to Canadians, about half of whom believe the news media helps society solve problems. “In fact, nearly six in 10 Americans believe the news media actually gets in the way of solving problems” (CMRC 2003). If the information being distributed is not trusted, where can people go to discover accurate information on which to base their decisions? If the media is to have any meaningful role in democracy, then the ultimate goal of media agencies should be to develop a range of diverse mediums and voices that are credible, and to create and strengthen a sector that promotes such outlets. Credibility is created by fair and balanced reporting, meaning appropriate weight is given to the opposing sides of an issue and reliable sources are used in collecting that information. Credible outlets enable citizens to have access to information that they need to make informed decisions and to participate in society. Television is a truly democratic mass medium that spreads information uniformly without regard to wealth, position or education and has clearly broadened our political dialogue. The average community in the United States now receives over 30 channels of television with many receiving hundreds. This diversity of programming presents perspectives regarding every conceivable characteristic of American society. The public can view the House and Senate in session live and thus make their own decisions regarding who is arguing fairly and who is simply trying to delay decisions. With this expanded supply of social conduits, there are now greater opportunities for political leaders to more readily publicize their policies and ideologies. The evolution of technology has given the concept of democracy added authenticity. The Internet can only facilitate more efficient political communications. The Internet has revolutionized American journalism and has already changed public discourse in the United States. Reporters now have consummate access to government documents and databases, public and private libraries, and archives of newspapers and other publications. “Over the next 10 years, as a new political generation comes on-line, the Internet will probably surpass television as the main mode of communication. And with the Internet will come an even greater ability for the public to talk back” (Ansolabehere, 2006). The role the media plays is critical to the preservation of freedom itself. The Constitutional right to freedom of expression and of the press includes the un-infringed right to investigate and publicly announce information or to espouse opinion. An effective media outlet must have editorial independence and serve a diversity of public interests uncontrolled by government or ideological influence. An adversarial relationship sometimes exists between mass media and the government regarding the public’s right to know balanced against matters of national security (Center for Democracy and Governance, 1999: 5). Elected officials many times forget that the same democratic mechanism that allowed their rise to power is also designed to monitor their progress. The favorite presidential approach to controlling the media is to prevent access to journalists. Frustrated by the coverage of the Watergate scandal, President Nixon ordered his staff to ban reporters from many highly respected publications, an order his staff disregarded. During the 2004 campaign, a reporter assigned to cover Vice President Cheney was habitually barred from the press plane. The Bush administration maintained a well acknowledged secretive and evasive stance towards the media. “Over the past several years, the Bush administration has learned that it can engage the press in an adversarial way, and the public wont mind. It’s yet another step in managed news,” said Tom Hollihan, journalism expert at USC’s Annenberg School (Chaddock 2005). The Seattle Post-Intelligencer criticized President Clinton in 1999 for asking Congress to declare war on Iraq. The FBI, on the President’s orders, moved to close the newspaper down explaining it was a danger to U.S. security (Baldasty 2000). A federal judge ruled that Gov. Robert Ehrlich (R) can bar state employees from talking to two reporters for the Baltimore Sun, a move described by Sun editors as ‘scary.’ (Chaddock 2005). Adversarial relations with the media aren’t limited to elected officials or have a relation to politics. Reporters from a local TV station had uncovered information indicating that nearly 30 percent of U.S. commercial planes are highly unsafe under certain conditions and three recent plane crashes may have been related to this particular problem. A group of U.S. airlines received a judgment in court to halt the broadcast of this report. In an episode of Ally McBeal, Ally decides to get an abortion. Some anti-abortion groups were seeking a court injunction to halt televising of the show (Baldasty 2000). The media is constantly fighting on many fronts to ensure the rights guaranteed by the Constitution are preserved. Politicians rely on mass media to communicate their message as do sports organizations, televangelists and situation comedies because of the social impact it generates due to its popularity. But what are the effects of this social impact? The mass media is a persuasive socializing instrument influencing how people learn about our world and interact with one another. By necessity, the public bases most of its knowledge on news accounts, not personal experiences. Citizens are reliant on the media for what they know and how they relate philosophically to political issues. Personal options and opinions are constrained by historical or cultural social forces but every subject is open to re-examination through various media interpretations. From this perspective, the media’s significance is evident. People view themselves and their place in society through perceptions based on mass media exposure. “Media defines our interaction with other people on a daily basis as a diversion, as sources of conflict, or as a unifying force. It is part of our routine relations with family and friends. Media has an impact on society not only through the content of the message but also through the process” (“Mass Media,” 2006). There is no shortage of media coverage inundating society on a daily basis. In addition to television, radio and the internet, approximately 1,550 daily newspapers are currently published in the United States along with about 7,500 weekly newspapers that provide local community news. Tens of thousands of other special interest publications are distributed by various types of organizations and about 11,000 consumer magazines are available. About 5,000 AM and 5,000 FM stations are broadcasting in local communities as are 1,550 commercial and 350 educational television stations (Hiebert 2001). All citizens are heavily exposed to mass media, its roles and responsibilities have been discussed, but how is this enormous amount of ready information impacting society? Does mass media promote public actions or does it simply report actions of others to the public? Does it influence opinions or reflect society’s thoughts, and feelings? Obviously, mass media does indeed influence opinion as it is the genesis of the information by which opinion is formed. To what degree depends on the variables considered as the effects of mass communication are many and diverse and may be short or long-term, obvious or concealed, intense or ineffectual. They may derive from any number of aspects of the communication content. “They may be considered as psychological or political or economic or sociological. They may operate upon opinions, values, information levels, skills, taste, or overt behavior” (Hiebert 2001). In this age of highly technologically produced mass communication, it has become possible for us to gain access to far more information than ever before in the history of mankind. The powerful influence and far-reaching access of mass media and its evolving effects on society is a subject of vital debate as the level of freedom the media experiences dictates the level of freedom of the country. Information is crucial to a complex and advanced civilization. We are an information-hungry society that feeds on an ever-increasing amount of facts to maintain and increase the standard of living. Information has always been and is increasingly becoming a commodity for which the public is willing to pay increasing amounts to access. As society experiences ever increasing amounts of leisure time, it depends on mass media to provide much of its information and entertainment. If information is power then people should question if society is receiving the information it needs to effect change in their opinions and in society. Media that is controlled by anything other than the motivation to gather and distribute accurate and prevalent information must be questioned. The debate regarding the ideals and responsibilities regarding the role of the media in our society must encompass discussion that ensures that the information we receive meets society’s needs and not the purposes of those that have selfish interests. This powerful source must shape opinion based on the truth and not ulterior motives of government, business or individuals. Only in this way can mass media play a positive role in society. References Ansolabehere, Stephen. (2006). “The Role of the Media.” Illinois State University. Available May 15, 2010 from Baldasty, Gerald. (January 4 2000). “What is the Role of Media in the United States?” University of Washington. Available May 15, 2010 from Canadian Media Research Consortium (CMRC). (2003). “Report Card on Canadian News Media.” Available May 15, 2010 from , p. 28. Center for Democracy and Governance. (June 1999). “The Role of Media in Democracy: A Strategic Approach.” Bureau for Global Programs, Field Support and Research. Washington D.C.: US Agency for International Development. Available May 15, 2010 from Chaddock, Gail Russell. (February 17, 2005). “Bush Administration Blurs Media Boundary.” The Christian Science Monitor. Available May 15, 2010 from Heibert, Ray Eldon. (2001). “The Growing Power of Mass Media.” Southern Connecticut State University Journalism Department [online]. Available May 15, 2010 from “Mass Media and Society: A Sociological Perspective on Media.” (2006). Arizona State University. Available May 15, 2010 from Read More