THE MEDIA
How does the Media influence Parliament?
What is the media?
The media is the main means of mass communication. There are many forms of media for example, the radio, tv, news prints, magazines and the internet.
How does Red-Top-Tabloids create influence?
A red top tabloid is a type of newspaper which contains a big picture and a little amount of information on its front cover. The Sun and The Daily Mirror are examples of red top tabloid newspapers. They have a great influence on readers due to large circulations as well as the appealing manner it consists of to masses. These types on newspapers influence peoples thoughts more than broadsheet newspapers for example The Independent which contains a large amount of detail.
Is there a direct link between the media and public opinion?
The media is able to control the public's thoughts to a certain extent. For example, in April 1992, the Torrie Government/ Party won a surprise election victory as they were expected to lose. The Sun newspaper claimed in its famous headline 'IT'S THE SUN WOT WON IT.' The Sun felt that due to its five million readers they were able to impact on the elections by representing the Torries. To this extent the Suns opinion was able to change public opinions which shows a direct influence between the media and the thoughts of the public.
How does the media enable a two way communication between the Government and the public?
1. The media allows the Government to demonstrate its policy to the public.
The Government will test its policy or any idea it wants to run with to the public through the media which means the Government will allow the media to push information out to the masses. The reaction or feedback from the masses will indicate whether the political idea will be successful.
2. The public opinion is able to be pushed back to the Government.
The media can report the thoughts of the public which gives the Government some insight in relation to future policies presenting what would be acceptable by the public and what wouldn't.
So, there is a two way symbiotic relationship between the Government and the public which is accessed through various types of media.
The Government will use the media to get its message across to the public and the public will use the media to get its throughts and views across to the Government.
How do pressure groups use the media to influence Parliament?
An example of pressure groups using the media to influence Parliament is presented through the Anti-Fracking campaign. They believe that fracking is not very green or environmental friendly and can cause minor earthquakes. Fracking is the ability to extract natural gas from shale rock by the use of high pressure water injection. As anti-frackers are against fracking they frequently use the media to get their message across to Parliament and so the BBC headline 'fracking tests near Blackpool 'likely cause' of tremors' helps to support pressure groups on their point of stopping fracking.
How do newspapers campaign to change the Law?
An example of newspaper campaigns created in order to change the law can be seen through the application of Megan's Law in the US being applied in the UK as Sarah's Law.
The Megan's Law in the US states that paedophiles who are local to a community should be on the local paedophiles list which should be published to let the local community know about those who bring danger towards children.
The Sarah's Law in the UK was a by product of Megan's Law following the murder of a little girl by a paedophile. The parents of the little girl created and campaigned for Megan's Law to be brought into force.
So, the law was encouraged to be applied by the newspaper 'Sun Readers' Verdict' which stated that '99% demand Sarah's Law.' This pushed the campaign forward creating a change in the law.
What happens when you combine several influences?
The combination of the Law Commission and Media pressure can influence Parliament in its creation or reformation of law. For example, in the case of Stephen Lawrence his suspected killers at the time were tried criminally but then were acquitted. This was due to the 'Double Jeopardy Rule' which states that if an individual has been tried for a criminal offence and found not guilty, you could not be tried for that same offence again.
A huge amount of media pressure was applied and at the same time the Law Commission started to look at the Double Jeopardy Act due to there being new evidence in light, but under the old rule Stephen's suspected killers could not be brought back to court as they were acquitted.
In order to influence Parliament, the newspapers and the Law Commission applied its pressure which resulted in the Criminal Justice Act 2003 which states that after compelling new evidence the suspectors could go through a second trial.
The Law Commission and media pressure brought about the new Double Jeopardy Rule which came about in statute as the Criminal Justice Act 2003.
Advantages & Disadvantages of the Media as an influence on Parliament
Advantages
Disdvantages
One advantage of using the media as an influence on Parliament is that it raises Government awareness. The media can help members of the Government to identify the thoughts of the public. They may already know the issue but the media will help the Government to deeply analyse how interested the public are. The media may also introduce the Government to a new idea which the public have a great deal of empathy for.
Another advantage is that the media allows a raise in public awareness in terms of Government policy. The Government uses the media more to help raise public awareness on key issues which concern the public.
One disadvantage of using the media to influence Parliament is that newspapers can become politicised. For example, The Daily Telegraph and The Times has become more Torrie. If newspaper's become politicised (have a certain party they follow) they can become biased which leads the raise of awareness to become biased. This does not present a clear picture of all arguments.
A second disadvantage is that newspapers are out to make money and have agendas which means sometimes they do not report fairly. For example, The Daily Express discuss the death of Princess Diana at every opportunity. Another example is the Mail & Express which jumped straight on even though the court said the reason for her death was 'X.' Both newspapers have an agenda to hold a theory which doesn't create objective reporting as the media is not working at its best to inform the public.
A third disadvantage is that the tabloid media creates whip up moral panic quite easily. For example, the Named Shamed Capaign. The down-side to this is that paediatricians were chased home by a mob and their houses were dubbed in paint due to people not being able to identify the difference between paediatricians and paedophiles.