What Is the Role of Media in Politics Discussions Replies

Respond to two colleagues in one of the following ways: share an insight from having read your colleague’s posting, validate an idea with your own experience, or expand on your colleague’s posting.

(Note: You do not need to respond to the discussion questions, it is included for your reference so you are aware of what questions the students are replying to) I posted my colleagues’ responses to the discussion question above, please respond to their post. Begin the response with Hi Leakita/Hi Jerman) (I need at least a half page response for each person) Please include references and provide the url link to all journal articles you use as references. Use current (meaning within the past 2 years) scholarly journal articles as references. Please use APA 6th edition format. Thanks)

Discussion Question:

Last week we discussed the ways in which we define social problems and how our current values and beliefs affect our definitions. This week, think about the impact of mass media and the way we receive our news.

If your source of information suddenly disappeared, where would you go for current events?

• What is the role of media in:
  • a) our awareness of social problems,
  • b) public policy,
  • c) politics,
  • d) service delivery?
• Do you think definitions of social problems will change as societal sources of information change? If so, in what ways?
• How will these changes impact service delivery to individuals, groups, and/or communities?

Leakita’s Post:

When I think about the impact of mass media I reflect back on the days when I was a young girl growing up in the city and I can clearly remember on summer days always hearing someone’s radio playing in their kitchen window and remembered the breaking news which would interrupt the music playing. During the old news era everyone in my neighborhood bought the daily news journal. It was not unusual to see the elders sitting on the porch drinking coffee and reading the daily news. With the new era of news mass media has fundamentally changed the way we access and interpret current events and news. Today we have unlimited news sources and with all the modern technology we are all constantly exposed to breaking news. Mass media has the ability to influence peoples opinions and decisions even if the news being presented is “fake news.”

My current source media comes mostly from television shows that I enjoy watching. I have never really thought about having to look for an alternative source. I would probably utilize the radio which also has unlimited news resources such as podcasts. I definitely would not get my news from FaceBook. Whenever those pop-ups show up on my news feed I immediately scroll pass them. I have a strong distrust of news on sources such as FaceBook.

The first and foremost function of the media in a society is to provide news and information to the masses. People need news/information for various reasons. The role of media is very important in keeping society informed of any social problems. Exposing social problems and raising awareness among viewers and/or readers helps to create activists groups which to help combat some of these social issues. The role of media regarding politics and public policies is also very important because legislative bills and laws are passed often that effect the lives of all Americans. The majority of people want to know about bills and laws that are on the table in their local and state offices as this will be affecting them directly. In my opinion the role of media in service delivery has been a crucial role. I say this because service delivery requires accountability and the media helps bring awareness to unfair and unsafe practices regarding service delivery as well as acknowledgement of service deliveries done well.

I do believe that the definition of social problems will change but not because of change in societal resources but because of who is delivering the news. Depending on which channel you watch and the motivation of the host will determine the change of definition. I say this because you can hear breaking news on your regular local news station and turn to a democratic or republican news channel and not only will the event be reported but the blame on the other party will directly follow. Sometimes it’s done very subtlely and others times it’s quite overt. There are three underlying concepts when we use low-level cognitive decision-making processes (also known as heuristics) that the person who is receiving the news must consider and they are content, motivation and credibility cues. It is always best to research information that you hear on these news sources. It is known as fact checking which has become a powerful tool.

REFERENCES

Johnson, S. T. & Ewbank, A. D. (2018). Heuristics: An Approach to Evaluating News Obtained through Social Media. Knowledge Quest. Vol. 47 No. 1

Mughal, M. A. (2014). World News. The Daily Journalist: Mass Media and Its Influence on Society.

https://thedailyjournalist.com/pen-and-pad/mass-media-and-its-influence-on-society/

Jermane’s Post:

I’m personally not big on watching news just because there is so much to sort through. Today the media is reported with so many hidden agendas, ulterior political motives, and one-sided biases. I believe that much of this is due to politics and the attempt to always control or influence different constituent groups in our society. There is no question that technology and social media has tremendously increase the speed and accessibility that information and news can be spread. Despite the media turmoil of today’s world, the media has its way of showing us informative and constructive information. However, the burden of responsibility lies with the viewer to ensure that what they view is credible.

What is the role of media in:

• a) our awareness of social problems,
• b) public policy,
• c) politics,
• d) service delivery?

In this new era of information abundancy, we have added unlimited news sources—cable news channels, blogs, and news found on social media. The popularity of social media has also enabled these technologies to emerge as platforms for delivering health information to at-risk individuals. and social media is constantly changing (e.g., updates to the interface, terms and agreement, and general features), and people of different age groups use and experience social media differently.

Do you think definitions of social problems will change as societal sources of information change? If so, in what ways?

I think that social problems will change in two ways that are already taking shape. The first is, an increase in public awareness. However, this does not come without impacting opinions, and views on certain issues. Which brings on the second element of change. This is the concern for what is authentic information and news. There will have to be a concerted effort by individuals to ensure what is being communicated to them is real and undiluted. There are so many mixed versions of news that are communicated and exploited with various agendas. One of the most popular, is the political agenda. Mass media plays a huge role in influencing the lives of the people. It can cause a huge turmoil or a social uprising. It can insight an angry riot, peaceful protest, fear or inspiration. How it can affect a person, totally depends on the way they consume the information and perception is everything.

How will these changes impact service delivery to individuals, groups, and/or communities?

In service deliver the main concerns are ensuring that people understand the information being communicated and the risk around confidentiality and privacy. According to a research social media use is increasing at an astonishing rate globally. Using existing and popular social media technologies to reach large numbers of at-risk individuals might be a sustainable and cost-effective alternative in delivering health education.

Chiu, C. J., Menacho, L., & Young, S. D. (2016). The association between age and ethics-related issues in using social media for HIV prevention in Peru. Ethics & Behavior, 26(2), 99–109. https://doi-org.mylibrary.wilmu.edu/10.1080/105084…

Johnson, S. T., & Ewbank, A. D. (2018). Heuristics: An Approach to Evaluating News Obtained through Social Media. Knowledge Quest, 47(1), 8–14.