Page 68 - An Introduction to Political Communication Third Edition

4

THE POLITICAL MEDIA

This chapter:

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

The media, or those who work in them, as was suggested in
Chapter 1, 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.

47