Page 27 - An Introduction to Political Communication Third Edition

POLITICS IN THE AGE OF MEDIATION

Parties
Public organisations
Political organisations Pressure groups
Terrorist organisations
Governments
Reportage
Editorials
Commentary
Analysis Appeals
Programmes
Advertising
Public relations

Media

Opinion polls
Letters

Reportage
Editorials
Commentary
Analysis
Citizens

Figure 1.1 Elements of political communication.

convince a population as a whole of their correctness, and putting
their policies to the test of periodic elections. Once mandated (or
rejected, as the case may be) they agree to abide by the consti-
tutional rules of the political system in which they operate,
respecting the limitations it puts on their power to implement or
oppose policy, until such time as another electoral opportunity
comes along.
For parties, clearly, the smooth functioning of the process
described above is dependent primarily on their ability to communi-
cate with those who will vote for and legitimise them. When, until
relatively recently, voting rights in capitalist countries were
restricted to small elites of propertied, educated men, it was enough
for parties to use various forms of interpersonal communication,

6