About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

77 Marq. L. Rev. 385 (1993-1994)
Mass Media and the Transformation of American Politics

handle is hein.journals/marqlr77 and id is 391 raw text is: MASS MEDIA AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF AMERICAN POLITICS I. INTRODUCTION The importance of the mass media1 in today's society cannot be over- estimated. Especially in the arena of policy-making, the media's influ- ence has helped shape the development of American government. To more fully understand the political decision-making process in this coun- try it is necessary to understand the media's role in the performance of political officials and institutions. The significance of the media's influ- ence was expressed by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn: The Press has become the greatest power within Western countries, more powerful than the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary. One would then like to ask: By what law has it been elected and to whom is it responsible?'2 The importance of the media's power and influence can only be fully appreciated through a complete understanding of who or what the media are. The purpose of this Comment is to provide an analysis of the syner- getic effect of the mass media in American politics. Part II of this Com- ment explores the economic interests and political ideologies that affect media corporations and personnel. Part III presents an overview of the predominant perception of the media in modem American society. Part III explores how the media are both responsible participants in the de- velopment of public policy as well as commercial forces in a competitive market. Part IV examines how the media define reality through their interpretation of issues and events. In addition, this section analyzes how various inherent aspects of the industry dictate news coverage and how different mediums affect an audience. Part V addresses the influ- ence that the media have on the political agenda. The media's impact on both individual government officials and the decision-making process it- self is also discussed. Finally, Part VI presents an overview of how the government manipulates the media through the use of deceptive tactics and authorized regulations. 1. For purposes of this Comment, the term media signifies enterprises involved in re- porting, printing, publishing, or broadcasting news. These entities consist of reporters, manag- ers, editors, producers, and owners, each of whom influence the final product-information. 2. WILLIAM R. RIVERs, THE OTHER GOVERNMENT. POWER AND THE WASHINGTON ME- DIA 7 (1982).

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most