Media Focus more on the personality than the politician. essays

Media Focus more on the personality than the politician. essays Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain is a line taken from the Wizard of Oz and is spoken by the wizard to symbolize that it is not the person pulling the strings and levers who is of importance, but rather the effect that one experiences in front of that curtain. A useful quote to illustrate that which confronts political audiences everyday. What we see and hear with respect to politicians, what we understand by policy or party affiliation is such that we need to question what it is that is actually being conveyed and for what reason? More importantly, as the audience or enquiring social scientist, is it not of consequence to know who the wizard actually is, whether he be the media or the politician? In the last fifty years, the media, in its numerous forms, has become a central social institution. Whether it be through television, newspapers or the internet, the media is the principle means by which information is communicated to us. The media is by no means a definitive source of knowledge, but it certainly is a valuable and practical source by which information, that would otherwise have gone unknown, be communicated to the general public. Political awareness today, for the majority of us, is brought directly to us as a result of the media. In the U.S., for example, television is the main method by which Americans find out about news politics etc, and therefore candidates not only try to obtain as much airtime as possible but also spend a large proportion of their budget on television advertising. With the advent of new technology enabling information to be conveyed to the masses, politicians were quick to reap the benefits that the media had to offer. Although the need to campaign door-to-door has some benefits, they are benefits for of a politician of a past generation. Today, such campaigning, is only of viable when it is mediated to the...