Mass Media

Dr Pranav Kumar
  Richard K. Gibson & Andrea Rommele, Political Communication in
Caramani, D., Comparative Politics, 1e, 2008 (473-491)
References  Heywood, Politics, 3e (235-245)
 Rod Hague and Martin Harrop, Comparative Government and
Politics: An Introduction, 6th Edition, Palgrave (2004)
  Society is not only a network of political and economic arrangements,
but also a process of learning and communication (Williams 1962 as
cited in Hague, 2004)
 Habermas (1978): democracy can best be understood as a form of
communication in which citizens inform, educate and become
reconciled to each other in the process of reaching collective
agreements. Thereby, democracy is a form of political
communication.
 Political communication an input function (Almond)
 communication is central to politics, the ability to control its content,
Introduction style and flow is a crucial if indirect source of power (Hague 2004):
Willingness to listen to leaders
 Control of information and communication is a central determinant of
political power and structure (Gison 2008)
 Main business of politicians is communication; their task is to signal
their agendas, policies and strategies to other players of the political
game. Even when politicians do act, their actions convey meanings
that transform their behavior into communication.
  Mass media refers to methods of communication that can reach a
large and potentially unlimited number of people simultaneously.
 Television and newspapers are the most important examples;
others are posters, radio, books, magazines and cinema. An email
Mass Media? to a friend is personal, not mass, communication, but sending a
message to all members of an email list is mass communication.
 Roosevelt’s ‘fireside chats’, broadcast live by radio to the American
population in the 1930s
 “मन की बात”
 Political activity is invariably a form of communication and the analyst’s first
task is always to interpret (‘decode’) the message so that its underlying
themes (‘subtexts’) become apparent
 Effective communication

Sender Message Channel Receiver Impact

  First innovation, namely writing, was the most important: dates back to fifth
millennium BC (Phoenicia, present day Lebanon) : permitted the record-
keeping, and also transmission of both information and values over large
distances
 Major thrust in the era of modern communication was provided not by writing
itself but rather by Gutenberg’s fifteenth-century invention of printing to paper
movable notable type.
 Mass literacy in a common language was central to the successful
development: Compulsory primary education (19th Century)
 The telegraph – a way of sending information across wires using electric signals:
19thcentury
Mass Media:  Advent of transportation like railway further expanded the impact of print
media in circulating the messages, particularly from politicians and leaders;
Evolution Popular newspapers emerge, often with mass circulation (late 19th century)
 Radio (1930s): oliticians broadcast directly into electors’ homes
 Television (1950-1960s): most popular, and usually the most trusted medium in
Western countries.
 Cable & satellites: 1980s
 Internet: 1990s, international communication (educated people); 2000s: Masses
 Theories Major features Details

Pluralist Highlights -ideological marketplace

model diversity & -positive role
multiplicity -checking govt. power (Nixon resigned)
Dominant- As political -e.g. promoting globalization/govt.
ideology conservative force -manufacturing consent, propaganda
model (ownership, sponsorship, agents of power,
Theories of threats to legal action, consumerism)
Mass Media Market model Reflects not shape -Whatever people want

Elite-value Media e.g. editors, journalists, broadcasters

model corporatization, Intellectual class: socialist, liberals, male
role of media
output controller

Heywood, Politics, 3e (232-235)

 In “Rich Media, Poor Democracies,” McChesney (1999):
commercialization shrinks the public space

The decline of public broadcasting; the

Mass Media: Commercialization rise of for-profit media, private
ownership, transnational networks
Trends
Contemporary Mass Media fragmentation
The increased range of channels; enhanc
ability to consume programmes on demand, e
trends (21st videos; broadcasting to narrow casting
Globalisation Improved access to overseas events;
Century) media in the global village

Cultural globalization, McWorld (Benjamin

Barber, 1995), Media imperialism,
Americanization, Westernization
  Freedom of expression is legally protected, fundamental rights
 The Fourth pillar (public debate & political engagements; ‘public
watchdog,;’ redistributing power & political influence; providing a
mechanism through democracy can operate (refer to Heywood)
 Perception matters
Stable  In representative democracy, communication is key
 Enlightened understanding (Dahl)
democracies,  Manufacturing consent: PE of the mass media (Edward S. Herman and
Noam Chomsky, 1988)
Media &  Media game: Relationship and game between politicians and
Political journalists
 Spokespersons giving misleading information
Communicatio  Propaganda
n  Spin Doctors: public relations experts working for politicians.The spin
doctor’s job is to encourage favourable media coverage for a party or
its leaders: Prashant Kishor
 Political communication and actors

Political
actors &
System

Media Voters

Adapted (with some change) from Gibson (2008)

TV &
Newspaper:
Social Media  Arab Spring
 Concept Definition Comment
Reinforcement Strengthening People read newspapers which support their existing
existing opinion outlook (selective exposure), people interpret
information to render it consistent with their opinions
(selective interpretation) and forget information that
runs counter to their beliefs (selective recall)
Agenda-setting The media The compressed nature of television news means its
influence what coverage is highly selective. Reported events are
we think and widely discussed by the public but non-reported
talk about events lose all visibility
Framing How an event is A frame focuses on particular aspects of a problem, its
Media effects narrated as a origins remedies and evaluation. It encourages
coherent story viewers and readers to portray the topic in a similar
highlights way
particular
features of it
Media trial Media take a Oversteps it's defined boundaries and unjustifiably
case in his own and recklessly interferes with the judicial process by
hand and initiating its own investigation and trial and negatively
declare the affecting the image of the accused in the society.
person either as
guilty or not
First three adapted from Hague guilty
 Type of effects Nature of effects Media- Audience
content variables
variables
Direct Immediate, uniform, short Salience Not relevant
term; emphasis on change

Conditional Individualized; Not Social categories;

Media effects- reinforcement as well as relevant social relationship;
change; long or short term individual
Models differences
Cumulative Based on cumulative Consonta Not relevant
exposure; cognitive or nt across
affect; enduring effects channels;
repetition
Cognitive- Immediate and short term; Salience Sheama make-up;
transactional based on one-shot of visual mood; goals
exposure; cognitive & cues
affective, behavioral effects
possible
(Perse (2001) in Gibson 2008)
New  Russia, African countries
Democracies &  Still miles to go
Media
Media &  State control: China
Authoritarian  Censorship:

regime