Page 121 - Culture Society and the Media

Introduction

Discussions of the power of the media commonly focus on two different sets of
questions. The first is concerned with the nature of the power of the media. Do
they change people’s views and opinions? Do they influence people to believe in
certain ways, e.g. buy Brand X of soap-powder or vote for Party Y in an
election? Do they ‘shape the climate of opinion’ in society (and what specifically
is implied by that statement)? Do they ‘set the agenda’ for society? Do they
contribute to the ‘shaping and reproduction of the hegemony of the dominant
values’ in society? These, and similar questions, focus on the impact of the
media on society, both at the microand at the macro-levels, and result in a variety
of explanations and analyses of that impact. Some of these are discussed both in
the first and in the last sections of this book.
The second set of questions are concerned with locating the centres of power
in the media. Clearly, whatever the answers to the first set of questions, the
wielding of power in the media must be in the hands of those who have control
over the content and shape of the messages disseminated by the media. But
where or with whom does that power reside? Indeed is it possible to pinpoint
precisely the location of power and control in the media? Should the search focus
on any specific individuals, such as the proprietors of newspapers, or the
managing directors or editors-in-chief of press and broadcasting organizations?
Or alternatively should the examination focus on the relationships between them
and those professionals who are responsible for, or involved in, the production
process in the media? Can the power of the media be explained by examining the
norms and rules which govern the behaviour of media professionals? To what
extent is the socio-political environment within which the media operate crucial
for determining and explaining the performance of the media and in prescribing
their impact? These questions, like those concerned with explaining the nature of
media power, also represent a variety of theoretical approaches to the study of
the media, and suggest different foci of examination and different kinds of
inquiry. But irrespective of these differences, their starting point is similar. They
all regard media organizations as the ‘correct’ setting within which the search for
locating the power in the media ought to be conducted.