e end of 2004.third and very important type of media is the Internet. It is the revolution in the way of communication, which has developed in the early 1980s. It was originally used to connect Pentagon with far military bases and defense contractors. The first main public use was the electronic mail communication. The growth of the Internet started with the explosion of personal computers and the development of a range of graphic programs. At the end of 1980s it was widely used by the public. Companies from all different parts of the world had recognized the economic potential of Internet and developed their own web pages.is important to say that nowadays there is a technology gap in Britain. Class, race, age and educational attainment may influence the people s access to personal computers and the Internet. Although most of the public libraries provide the Internet access for free, there are still people that can not use this opportunity because of lack of basic computer skills, no access to transport or just because they are illiterate. The Census Bureau, which is a company that regularly conducts surveys of the British public, has found out that people between the age of twenty five to sixty four, whites and Asians and people with higher educational attainment have more access to the Internet than others. According to this research, the tables below indicate that the possible advantages provided by Internet are likely to be achieved by more educated, younger people with at least basic computer skills. [8] has also changed the way we get news and other political information. According to Richard Davis, a political scientist who has studied the political functions of Internet, it serves as a link between government and the people. It can also bring the opportunity to communicate with other people that are interested in discussion of political issues. But there are also possible dangers hiding in the Internet. Anyone with some computer skills can create a web page or blog and present his thoughts and ideas as facts. There is unfortunately no way how to distinguish reliable and accurate knowledge from irrelevant, manipulative or biased information. The public must be aware of this fact and treat the information from Internet carefully. [2] first politician who has employed the Internet in his campaign was Howard Dean. He recognized that the Internet and computers are part of people s daily lives and started to use it to mobilize supporters and raise money in 2004. The campaign also used web tools, online surveys and blogs to get the feedback from his supporters. Howard Dean commented on his Internet campaign subsequently: The Internet community is wondering what its place in world of politics is. Along comes this campaign to take back the country for ordinary human beings, and the best way you can do this is through the Net. We listen. We pay attention. If I give a speech and the blog people don t like it, next time I change the speech. Raquo; [3]
. 2 The power of media
television news influence public opinion? Political scientists Benjamin I. Page, Robert Y. Shapiro and Glenn R. Dempsey asked this question in their extensive study of eighty policy issues over fifteen years. The purpose of the research was to find out if media content altered public opinion. They found out that reporters and commentators had the greatest impact on opinion change and their opinions were crucial in shaping mass opinion. On the other hand the independent experts interviewed by the media had some impact on opinion but not as great as newscasters themselves.media may also influence public opinion and partially shape attitudes by deciding what is newsworthy. In these days television is really the most important form of mass communication. The newspaper reader can turn quickly from news to sport without being confronted by politics. The television viewer today must see the news or else turn off the set. Television also presents visual images, not merely words. The emotional impact of pictures enables television to communicate stories and feelings in an especially powerful way.table below describes where the British learn about candidates and their campaigns. It is visible that the television was the most common source of information and that is why it is the most influential medium. The attitudes to traditional sources of information changes quite slowly because, for example, for older people is not easy to search through the internet for information. [15] media power is concentrated in the hands of relatively small number of people: the editors, producers, anchors, reporters and columnists of the leading television network and the prestigious press. These people usually do not see themselves as holders of the power. They rather present themselves as reporters who simply narrate events as they are. But whether or not the media elit...
