Page 80 - An Introduction to Political Communication Second Edition

THE POLITICAL MEDIA

The media’s ‘hegemonic’ role, as defined here, may of course be
viewed as wholly benign, if one chooses to accept the self-legitimating
ideology of capitalist societies. From such a perspective (what some
would call the dominant ideological perspective) the media provide
the social structure with an outlet for the expression of shared values
(as well as the political functions of rational information discussed
earlier). If, however, one objects to the system, or parts of it, the
hegemonic role of cultural institutions such as the media is viewed
negatively. For the late Ralph Miliband the media ‘in all capitalist
societies have been consistently and predominantly agencies of
conservative indoctrination’ (1973, p.200).
How is this agency realised? The broadcasters’ concept of
impartiality, for example, works to contain political debate within a
more or less tightly drawn consensus, which admits only an
established political class, and marginalises or excludes others. In
coverage of politics, as was noted above, impartiality in practice
means giving equal representation (representation proportionate to
an organisation’s electoral support) to the main political parties,
particularly during election campaigns. It does not mean the reporting
of all significant participants in a political debate. In Northern Ireland,
‘impartiality’ was explicitly withheld from the para-military
organisations and their political wings, because they operated outside
the established democratic procedures of the United Kingdom’s
constitutional system. The broadcasting ban introduced by the
Conservative government in 1989, and removed only in 1994,
prevented television and radio from airing the voices of some elected
Northern Ireland politicians because they were deemed to support
those who challenged the legitimacy of the British state.
In this case, from the viewpoint of the hegemonic school, the media
were erecting a barrier between legitimate and illegitimate political
discourse, excluding the latter from the public sphere.
The media also contribute to the maintenance of consent, it is
argued, by reporting problematic events and processes in ways
favourable to the established order. Major industrial disputes, overseas
military expeditions (we exclude here wars of national survival, such
as the Second World War) and domestic opposition to key military
policies, are examples of issues which tend to be reported from an
establishment perspective, thus arguably influencing the political
environment in a particular direction. Chomsky and Herman’s
Manufacturing Consent makes explicit reference to this process in
its title, analysing how the American media, over many decades,
have presented their audiences with a view of the world and its

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