MEGATRENDS AND MEDIA

MEGATRENDS AND MEDIA
INSIGHT INTO ROLE OF MEDIA
IN WESTERN LIBERAL DEMOCRACIES
Tatiana Tökölyová
ABSTRACT:
Currently the media represent a key communication and information channel
because they share information with the citizens all over the world directly to
their “living rooms” without any travelling needed, no extra effort spent. This
way they can be understood as effective channels of communication, as proved
by history and recent developments (and also in this contribution) as they also
give a room for life or directed discussion by inviting experts, politicians, victims,
and the others giving time to an impersonal discussions and communication
with impression of a “face- to –face” or life contact. Here, it is necessary to note,
that the main role of media – to inform and call upon a discussion – has two sides.
One is comprised by the public, and the second one by the elites of a country, i.e.
decision-makers. It is their image, their visions that are many times spread among
the people just by the media of any kind (the most effective is TV broadcasting
because of the best emotional effects due to using pictures). 1 Therefore, we can
state that mass media has developed into an unoficial instrument of FP policymaking.
2
KEY WORDS:
media, broadcasting, embedded journalism, politics, CNN effect, ethics
1 Introduction
Undoubtedly we may say that nowadays media have a profound inluence
on all the aspects of decision-making in politics, economy and military.
It is impossible to provide exactly what is of more importance – politics
or mass media. In these globalized times with various new forms of
media widely spread, it is impossible for oficial representatives not to
react on any public pressure. And this is the role of media – to evoke
and also calm down the emotions risen up under some events happened.
As showed hereafter, many expert papers and studies analysing the
1 BAHADOR, B.: The CNN effect in action: How the news media pushed the
West toward war in Kosovo. New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2007, p. 18, 61,
64.
2 McQUAIL, D.: McQuail´s Mass Communication Theory. Sage Publications
London : Sage Publications Ltd., 2005, p. 539 – 540.
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