This seminar explores the relationship between media and politics within a changing media environment, marked by rapid technological and political changes and the growth of new media organisations. We examine the role of media in shaping politics and vice versa, how political actors—political leaders, advocates, and journalists—try to influence audiences and how audiences respond. With the traditional roles and relationships rapidly changing, we explore how media influence aspects of politics—democracy, diplomacy, foreign and domestic policy, conflict, conflict resolution, and human rights.
We will analyse how news and other forms of political media content are created.
We will study their biases and assess how these affect politics and society.
We’ll explore how media interact with other forces to shape people’s political thinking, attitudes, emotions, and behaviours, and how these might contribute to real developments. For example:
- Political leaders, candidates, and advocates use the Internet to organise, advertise, raise money and persuade.
- States use media to influence world developments, to gain power, or win wars.
- Advocates and revolutionaries use social networking, petition sites, YouTube, blogging, and podcasts as tools for socio-political change.
- All of these political actors and media vie for audience shares, and they can unite and divide audiences, locally and globally.
We’ll examine how the traditional line between news and entertainment is disappearing, as entertainment programmes are politicised while news is dramatised.
We will discuss the significance of these developments for societies, democratic processes and political change:
- For instance, how might changes in communication technology and peer networks affect media content and its influences?
- How do the new media and political environments impact political actors and states’ attempts to communicate?
- What are the goals of each of the actors engaged in the process?
- What are the ethical considerations?
- Do the different actors have different responsibilities?