Today we will look more closely at the role of media in informing political opinions. We start with the role of media in the past...
Today we will look more closely at the role of media in informing political opinions. We start with the role of media in the past (1:05) before looking at the rise of partisan new outlets.(1:42) We then discuss the effects of growing demand for ideologically driven media(3:33) and the rise of social media as a source of information. (4:22)
Today’s question of the day (5:55): According to a January 2021 Pew Survey, what percentage of American adults said they get their news from social media often or sometimes?
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Hi and welcome to the APsolute Recap: US Government Edition. Today’s episode will recap the role of the media
Lets Zoom out:
Unit 5 - Political Participation
Topic- 5.12-5.13
Big idea - Participation in a Representative Democracy
The media is another important linkage institution that connects people to their government. The rise of talk radio and 24/7 television news in the 1990s as well as social media platforms as a source of information, has led to increasingly diverse interpretations of events which have a large impact on political behavior.
Lets Zoom in:
People used to get their news from newspapers and one of the three network news shows at night. However, the growth of mass media changed this. Today, more people get their news from non traditional news sources than ever before. This can include podcasts, political comedy shows, blogs, and even social media like Facebook and Tik Tok. Today it is estimated that 4 in 10 people consume their news online, with 60% of those people saying social media is their main source of news.
Historically, the difference in news coverage was fairly slim. There might be a difference in what was covered, but not how it was covered or the spin that was put on the facts. Therefore, the substance of the news that people consumed on a daily basis was largely the same. This started to change in the 1980’s with the rise of negative news coverage. Since then, media has become increasingly politicized, and now, people often consume news in something called an echo chamber. This means they are only consuming media that reinforces their views and opinions surrounding news and politics. Political participation is strongly influenced by the coverage and commentary of the media covering political events.
The demand for ideologically driven news has increased debates over media bias and the ownership of partisan news sites. In the last few years, many of these news outlets have been accused of not only having a strong bias, but actually spreading misinformation and lies about the events taking place in the country. In the wake of the 2020 election, several of these news outlets were threatened with defamation lawsuits unless they retracted inaccurate and unfounded statements about the legitimacy of the election process. One news outlet actually had a lawsuit filed against it, and it is still uncertain if more of these media outlets will follow.
There is growing concern about the nature of debate in democratic countries with the increased demand for partisan news outlets. The media undoubtedly plays a big role in informing citizens about politics. Therefore, what is to be done about the increasing nature of people using untrustworthy sources of information and counting it as news? Big tech companies have come under fire for not doing a better job of regulating the spread of misinformation on their platforms. These companies have argued that it is a First Amendment right to take part in these forums and it is up to the individual citizen to look into the veracity of the claims being made. However, others argue that when it comes to potentially dangerous misinformation, companies have an ethical duty to take down inaccurate information purporting to be news, or at least flag it as potentially being inaccurate. While this debate is ongoing, one need only to look to the 2020 election to see how the consumption of media can affect voter behavior.
To recap……
The media is an important linkage institution that affects citizens’ access to political information. The increasing choices regarding media outlets and their ideological platforms has affected voter behavior and led to an increase in partisan news coverage. This in turn has led to a politically divided country.
Today’s Question of the day is about Social Media
Question: According to a January 2021 Pew Survey, what percentage of American adults said they get their news from social media often or sometimes?