e acknowledge their great power, they make every day decisions that affect life of people. They must decide what story is worth covering, how much time should be given to the news, what sources are trustworthy.stories determine what mass audiences will think about and talk about. The power of television does not really lie in persuading viewers to vote for one candidate or another. Instead, the power of television lies in deciding which issues will be given attention and which will be ignored. The mass media also directly influence the decision makers, which is even more important than the influence on mass audiences.political journalist, Theodore White, claims that the power of the press in Great Britain is a crucial one. It sets the agenda of public discussion and this power is unrestrained by any law. It determines what people will think about and talk about. It is obvious that the power of mass media is great. Critics argue that the media have become too powerful and influential and that their freedom should be curtailed. The news media are accused of bias, invasion of privacy, manipulating events, irresponsibility, and libel and of actively trying to shape public opinion by setting particular agendas. All these negative arguments may be used against the media. On the other hand media could be also helpful- this applies to media which try to give support to various charity projects, search for missing people. [5]
1.3 Media effects and influence
aspect of the media which affects our attitude towards journalists and editors and the way we react to media stories is the so-called power of the press. The press was accused of power without responsibility - the prerogative of the harlot throughout the ages raquo ;. A continuing debate rages over whether the media is the voice of public opinion; the reflector or mirror of public opinion; the organ of public opinion; the controller of public opinion; the regulator of public opinion; or the creator of public opinion.key criticism made of the media is that they are responsible for agenda-setting. That is, the media select events and issues that are discussed and considered by the community. By their selection process for stories and programs, the media set the agenda for public discussion - and other issues go ignored. In this way, critics say, the media define social reality. The media are also blamed for almost every social ill known in our society. The media have been said to cause crime, violence, teenage delinquency, promiscuity, racial strife and drug taking. But, in fact, little proof or evidence is available to substantiate these claims. Precisely what power the media really do exert in contemporary society continues to be debatable.Klapper released a landmark study of the media in 1960, The Effects of Mass Communication which destroyed many of the myths concerning the power of the media and shattered assumptions. Klapper concluded from extensive research that persuasive communication was more often associated with attitudes reinforcement than with conversion raquo ;. Klapper s basic assertion, which is still held as relevant today, was that mass communication was more likely to reinforce existing opinions than to change them, and more likely to produce modifications than conversion raquo ;. Not everyone agrees with Klapper. But we can note from his research that generalisations about the media s power to change opinions or create new opinions are dangerous. [21] mass communication studies and psychology find that people draw their opinions from a range of sources and the media are but one influence. Possible links between media coverage and portrayals of violence and the level of violence in society is one area which has received considerable study and attention. There is a general belief that media coverage and portrayal of violence and lawlessness contributes to lawlessness and disorder.1965, the psychiatric department of Denmark s Council for Forensic Medicine reported that no scientific experiments could lead one to the assumption that pornography or obscene pictures and films contributed to committing of sexual offences by normal adults and youths. [16] response to this report and substantial supporting sentiment in the country, the Danish Parliament repealed the legal prohibitions against written pornography in 1967. In 1 969, the Danish Government ended film censorship for adults and legalised the sale of pornographic pictures and photographs to anyone over the age of sixteen.prophets of doom forecast that Denmark would slide into moral decay. But guess what happened? Sex crimes fell sharply in the year following the +1967 Government action and decreased further after the repeal of virtually all pornography laws affecting adults in 1969. There is also research on audience retentiveness which suggests that newspaper and magazine articles and electro...
