This is an extended summary of the book "Making Sense of Media & Politics: Five Principles in Political Communication" by Gadi Wolfsfeld. I am a VU (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) student following the subject "Media, Society and Politics". Have fun! :)
Making Sense of Media & Politics
Five Principles in Political Communication
Gadi Wolfsfeld
There is mutual influence between politics and media. In this book we’re going to look at
the relationship between media and politics on the basis of five principles:
- I Political power can usually be translated into power over the news media.
- II When authorities lose control over the political environment they also
lose control over the news.
“Political environment” refers to everything people are doing, thinking, and saying
about an issue at a particular place and time. Actors become weaker or stronger because
they gain or lose in the following three components: 1) level of control over events; 2) their
control over the flow of relevant information and 3) their ability to maintain a high level of
elite consensus surrounding their politics.
- III There is no such thing as objective journalism (nor can there be).
News is fulfilled with biases produced by the very fact that journalists have to choose to
report on just a few items among a ridiculously large number of world events, tells that,
even in the digital age, journalists have to make subjective judgements about what people
need to know and what can be ignored. Journalists are storytellers who make use of news
frames. These are organizing devices journalists use to tell a coherent story (think of the
“The War on Terror” frame for example in which journalists promotes and are justifying
the USA worldwide military intervention because it would maintain peace).
- IV The media is dedicated more than anything else to telling a good story.
It is all about “infotainment” (news is a business and dramatic stories insure a bigger
audience) in which journalists seem to be increasingly concerned with grabbing our
attention rather than providing us with intelligent coverage. Many critics believe that as
the news media become more sensational they lowered the level of public discussion and
debate about the major issues facing the country (selling cheap food will often increase
profits but can have a terrible effect on people’s health). News is something in between
information and entertainment. Nowadays we see an emphasize on “drama” (as part of the
entertainment) executed by those political actors and this behaviour influences how the
public sees politics. This is also one of the reasons the political news is so negative and
cynical (cynicism). But the political debate can also be found in late-night talk shows. This
transforms the way the public thinks about politics (decline in public trust which leads to
lower percentages of people who are willing to vote). The media’s obsession with drama
has perhaps its most profound influence when it comes how they cover terrorism and war
(terrorists are transformed by the news media in “celebrities”).
- V The most important effects of the news media on citizens tend to be
unintentional and unnoticed
Those who study effects are interested in how and how much the news media influence
the way people think, feel, and behave. How much does the news media affects things like
, public opinion, political tolerance, political participation, violence and voting for example?
When it comes to the news, many of the most important effects are unintended by
journalists and unnoticed by their audience.
Thus the three sections examine those who package and send political messages, those
who transform political messages into news (news is constructed, it is a social
construction), and the effect all this has on ordinary citizens.
Introduction
Politics is above all a contest. The news media are crucial in facilitating this contest.
Political actors want to be heard by an audience. The news media offer them a public so
they can mobilize the supporters to their cause.
Section I – Political Actors Compete Over the News Media
Political actors all trying to have an impact (there is a lot of competition): on their
communities, on their country, and on the world. One of the most important things all of
these groups share is that at one point or another they want the news media to help
them achieve their goals.
Chapter 1: Political Power and Power Over the Media
Actors who play a big role in the news media already tends to stay in this spotlight
(when the president of the United States wants to tell something he will simply turn to
his big fan base of reporters who are willing to listen to him). A simple congressman, on
the other hand, has a lot of competition and will only come into the local news media. In
general one can say that in many areas, when it comes to media attention, the rich get
richer and the poor remain poor. The most important and well-known people are having
the highest chance of getting into the news. A good rule of thumb is that: journalists run
after the politically powerful and politically weak run after journalists. This brings us to
the first of the five principles: Political power can usually be translated into power
over the news media. Journalists and political leaders have a symbiotic relationship
with each other because each depends on the other in order to achieve their goals. While
political leaders want publicity, journalists seek for interesting information they can
turn into news. Reporters who come down too hard on powerful leaders may find
themselves at the back of the line for getting information. So journalists have no choice
but to think very carefully before they go to war against their most important sources.
The relationship is also competitive because each wants to get the most from the other
while “paying” as little as possible. Leaders want to get lots of publicity without having
to reveal too much and reporters want to get the juiciest information without having to
give a free ride to the politician. It is a competitive symbiosis. The most powerful leaders
have the best information to “sell” and that’s why journalists compete for the privilege of
getting it, especially if they can get first crack the story.
The news media thus have a preference for power but also conflicts. Other
tensions of the media are: tension to talk about the elites and their opinions and
utterances from officials. This could lead to mismanagement of politicians. The media
should strive for balance by giving the opposition space to respond. In the Iraq War
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