Page 245 - Battleground The Media Volume 1 and 2

| Med a and C t zensh p

and Democracy” sidebar). Research shows that although governments and politi-
cal parties have invested heavily in interactive Web sites and online information
provision, new technologies do not necessarily challenge the top-down orienta-
tion of conventional politics. As James Janack found in his study of discussion on
Howard Dean’s campaign blog, supporters of Dean controlled debate to focus it
on issues of strategy and style over substance. Contributors who wanted to actu-
ally discuss politics were silenced by other posters who felt that such discussion
was inappropriate.
Nevertheless, new technologies have made possible media forms that are
more participatory and democratic. They have led to the rise of citizen jour-
nalism, and user-created content, which is now an increasingly important part
of the content produced by mainstream news organizations. In addition, there
are today at least 60 million active blogs—a number that is rapidly increasing.
At the same time, we are faced with new questions about how media should
handle the realities of an increasingly globalized world where the nation-states
to which citizens belong are undermined by transnational and global develop-
ments and interests. Some observers suggest that the global nature of life in
contemporary societies is shifting our allegiances in all areas of life. We engage
with global corporations like Nike and Coca-Cola, social movements like
Greenpeace, and many of us are part of or affected by the unprecedented move-
ment of individuals and groups across previously fixed national borders. The
question on the minds of many scholars today, then, is whether mass media can
contribute to the formation of citizenship that goes beyond the nation-state.

teleVision talk shows, PolitiCians, and deMoCraCy

Since the 1970s, television has been the most important source of political information for
citizens. Television’s emphasis on visually appealing, short-and-snappy personalized story-
telling has, according to some observers, fundamentally transformed the nature of political
discourse. In particular, new television genres, such as talk shows, are seen by politicians
as a crucial way of reaching women, ethnic minorities, and other groups in society that are
less tuned in to conventional politics. As a result, presidential candidates have increasingly
subjected themselves to the talk-show treatment. Bill Clinton was one of the first to do this
when he played the saxophone on the Arsenio Hall Show. In the 2000 Gore–Bush contest,
both candidates appeared on Oprah Winfrey within a few weeks of each other. George
Bush talked about his struggle with alcoholism, revealed that his favorite sandwich is peanut
butter and jelly on white bread, and his favorite gift is kissing his wife. Gore, on the same
show, said that his favorite breakfast cereal is Wheaties and that his favorite musical group
is the Beatles. Critics allege that such appearances blur the boundaries between politics
and popular culture. They fail to test the policies of politicians, but merely highlight their
personalities. As such, they might risk trivializing politics and alienating voters. Supporters of
talk-show politics, on the other hand, contend that by bringing politics and popular culture
closer, we can engage people who are otherwise turned off from politics.