== Shaping Politics ==
Electronic_Journalism
Politicians have always relied on information relayed back to them from society via various forms of media to aid them in their decision making. Events that have shaped our world; from the Cuban Missile Crisis, to the war in Iraq, to the children overboard scandal - all have been by-products of decisions made by politicians. Most of these decisions have been based on or influenced by information gathered by the media. In the past 5 years alone technology that was once a pipe dream has become a reality, greatly aiding journalism and society in its ability to transmit real time information from a breaking event on the other side of the world to the home or the parliamentary office. This frequency of news being transmitted from remote areas around the world has affected politics in several ways: primarily the use of new media technologies such as satellite, digital, and wireless technologies have enabled journalists’ instantaneous transmissions, giving politicians relevant, real-time information on developments in world affairs. However, the question of ethics is raised in such cases where politicians are relying on this timely information to stir outcry and shift public opinion. (Neuman, J 1996: Online)
In Politics and the Press, Pippa Norris describes how media has transformed political campaigns in the United States from the premodern campaign (1948), to the modern campaign (1960s-80s) to the postmodern campaign (1990s-present).
However Norris also notes that these forms of new media technologies such as global television, which allow a family in, say, Peru, to watch every detail of the US Presidential campaign, raised questions of morality and stirred many debates, beginning in its early stages in the 1980s:
There is an abundance of plausible theories regarding the affect media has on politics and vice versa; in the postmodern world public relations is an activity at play which offers politicians the ability to influence mass media. However the question can then be raised, concerning whether or not the employment of public relations simply proves the extent to which the media is shaping politics.
Recently, the Queensland government came under fire for use of Public Relations firm Rowland Communication. The PR firm was offering ‘embattled’ electricity firm Energex briefings over the internet to help them improve their image in the media. However, details of the arrangement were leaked to the media stirring a public outcry at the fact that the government had employed the media liaisons at a cost of $500 an hour. (Odgers, R, and Wardel, S, The Courier Mail: “Energex Calls in the Spin Doctors, 26 August 2004) This example of politicians using tax payers’ money to help them deal with the media raises various ethical concerns. This is just one example of politicians attempting to disseminate what they consider to be news. New media technologies have made it infinitely easier for politicians to monitor the media and respond to it: with the thousands of online news groups to the multitude of satellite television channels (Mark Jurkowitz, 2003: Online) the question is posed: who is controling who?
Brigid Andersen 16:36, 20 Oct 2004 (EST)
