Page 64 - An Introduction to Political Communication Fifth Edition

Intro to Politics Communication (5th edn)-p.qxp 9/2/11 10:55 Page 43

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THE POLITICAL MEDIA

This chapter:

• Presents an analysis of the media environment confronted by
contemporary political actors
• Sets out the institutional and organisational frameworks within
which the main mass media in a democratic society such as Britain
are organised
• Describes the relationships which exist between media organisa-
tions and politicians
• Examines those aspects of the media production process which
impact on political communication.

The media, or those who work in them, should be viewed as important
political actors in themselves. Not only do they transmit the messages of
political organisations to the public, but they transform them through
various processes of news-making and interpretation. What the politician
wishes to say is not necessarily what the media report him or her as having
said. In addition, the media make statements about politics in their own
right, in the form of commentaries, editorials and interview questions.
These statements may have a significant impact on the wider political
environment. The relationship between the media and the political process
is a dialectical one, involving action and reaction. The media report on and
analyse political activity, but they are also part of it, available as a resource
for political actors and their advisers. The latter thus have a major interest
in understanding how the media work, and how best to achieve their
communication objectives through them.

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