Page 42 - An Introduction to Political Communication Third Edition

POLITICS, DEMOCRACY AND THE MEDIA

opinions circulate and by means of which a common stock of
knowledge is built up as the basis for collective political action: in
other words, the mass media, which since the eighteenth century
have evolved into the main source and focus of a society’s shared
experience (see Figure 2.1). The modern concept of ‘news’
developed precisely as a means of furnishing citizens with the most
important information, from the point of view of their political
activities, and of streamlining and guiding public discussion,
functions which are taken for granted in contemporary print and
broadcast journalism.

THE MEDIA AND THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS

From what has been stated thus far we may now suggest five
functions of the communication media in ‘ideal-type’ democratic
societies:

• First, they must inform citizens of what is happening around
them (what we may call the ‘surveillance’ or ‘monitoring’ func-
tions of the media).
• Second, they must educate as to the meaning and significance
of the ‘facts’ (the importance of this function explains the
seriousness with which journalists protect their objectivity,
since their value as educators presumes a professional detach-
ment from the issues being analysed).
• Third, the media must provide a platform for public political
discourse, facilitating the formation of ‘public opinion’, and
feeding that opinion back to the public from whence it came.
This must include the provision of space for the expression of
dissent, without which the notion of democratic consensus
would be meaningless.
• The media’s fourth function is to give publicity to governmental
and political institutions – the ‘watchdog’ role of journalism,
exemplified by the performance of the US media during the
Watergate episode and, more recently, the British Guardian’s
coverage of the cash-for-questions scandal, in which inves-
tigative journalists exposed the practice of members of
parliament accepting payment for the asking of parliamentary
questions. The post-1997 Labour government of Tony Blair has
also seen its relationship with lobbyists and financial backers
subjected to critical scrutiny. ‘Public opinion’ can only matter –

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