Media from the Traditional Newspapers to the Internet Surpassing Television
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From the traditional newspapers to the Internet surpassing television, media operate as “epistemological devices” by which individuals understand or try to understand the social and political world, providing the raw material for individuals to understand the opinion climate around them, ultimately influencing what we know and the manner in which we learn new things . It is fair to say that media has greatly influenced the way society thinks of religions, morality and ethics. Media, in other words, can be perceived as a normal support, giving inevitably insights of what is wrong and of what is right . Therefore, the media is very powerful because it can influence and shape the perception of the public. Additionally, it does set out to create public opinions, to profoundly influence it, rather than simply reflect it, as any proficient media outlet ought to do . Some do this in pursuit of commercial agenda –to sell newspapers and attract viewers and listeners- but others have deliberate agendas to have their audiences embrace the same beliefs, attitudes and preferences that they have adopted . Besides, media can also be used as a tool to exercise power and control of the population’s thoughts and assumptions. In other words, media is a complex, versatile tool that can dramatically influence the public; its control is subsequently extremely important. Also, mass media can have a very positive impact on the people: it can evoke enotion, national pride and patriotism, especially in situations involving national difficulties . Mass media’s applications can be condensed into four categories; the first one being reinforcement, in other words when the media strengthens existing opinions . The second one is the agenda setting theory, this occurs when the media tells the public what to think about . The third one is the process of framing: media encourages viewers to interpret a topic in a specific way . Finally, the process of priming influences how the public interprets events . Consequently, the media has a very strong impact on the public opinion. Thus, does mass media reflect or shape public opinion?
Looking at the examples of France and the United States of America, this essay will argue that, although mass media in France in most of the cases try to reflect public opinion, shaping the public opinion is what mass media do in America