The Pluralist View of Mass Media Essay - 1340 Words

The Pluralist View of Mass Media Pluralism is the belief that power is spread widely throughout the world. It is a belief that companies or powerful groups are competing, but within boundaries of consensus and compromise. The idea of pluralism descends from functionalism. Functionalism is the view that society is structured; every institution in society fulfils certain roles and functions. If there was a disruption in one of these institutions then it could affect the stability of society as a whole. Functionalists believe that if something didn’t serve a purpose then it would not exist. The pluralist view of the mass media is based on this simple belief. Pluralists believe that the reason†¦show more content†¦There have been many disputes between Editors and media owners over the control of the content. An example of this is the dispute between the (now ex-) editor of the Mirror, Piers Morgan, and its owner, Philip Graf. Piers Morgan published photographs in the Mirror showing British troops abusing captured Iraqi soldiers. These pictures caused a huge upset in the British Army, government and in the general public. Some government officials began to ask questions about these photographs and their sources. Piers Morgan stood by the photographs and was adamant that they were genuine, even when the owners of the Mirror began asking questions. The photographs were later proved to be forgeries. Piers Morgan was fired and walked out of the Mirror Offices. The pluralist theory that newspaper owners do not control the output of their media, some editors control the output themselves. Another example of disputes between organisations is the Government versus the BBC over the Iraqi war. This argument came about after Britain when to war with Iraq. One of the journalists in the BBC said that he had evidence that the dossier produced by the government, with reasons why we should go to war with Iraq (the evidence that Iraq has Weapons of Mass destruction), had been ‘sexed-up.’ The Government denied this, but the chief editor, editor in general both stood behind their journalist. This was eventuallyShow MoreRelatedMedia Studies1668 Words   |  7 PagesSLLS1005 Essay 1: Course: Introduction to Media Studies (Media and Society) SLLS1005 Word Count: Two opposing views on the role of media in society have thus far dominated media studies: the Marxist and liberal-pluralist perspectives. Simply, Marxist theorists see the role of the mass media as a means of maintaining the existing state of affairs, while the liberal pluralists see the role of the mass media as a means to promote the freedom of speech. The following essay will look moreRead MoreThe Effect of Shared Culture of Journalists on the Selection and Presentation of News737 Words   |  3 Pagesthrough a selective process which is controlled by media professionals such as journalists correspondents and editors. Agenda setting, a theory created by Stephen Lukes, sees how journalistrs select news that is projected through the media. Agenda setting also sees bias in the media, which is most commenly dominated in the political broadcasts. The Glasgowuniversity media group agree with the use of agenda setting in the media and use it in their research. When looking atRead MoreThe Controversy of Media Imperialism Essay930 Words   |  4 PagesThe Controversy of Media Imperialism The controversy of media imperialism questions us as to whether a certain medium (in this case, the newspaper – tabloid, broadsheet, hybrid) is controlled by the publication owner or the managers/editors-in-chief/journalists. They both deliver news and make it possible to be accessed by the reading-public. Proprietors own publication companies and administer the content of the media through a set agenda. Media practitioners are theRead MoreThe Privileged Position of Business Essay547 Words   |  3 PagesThe Privileged Position of Business Hudson first states what he believes to be the central assumption of the Pluralist description of American politics that there is no one dominant group in American Society. He argues that there is a dominant group, business. I agree that the pluralist ideology is wrong and that business is very dominant in our political society. He continues by stating that there are two faces of the political privilege of business. The first involves business activelyRead MoreLemmings of the Media Essay1205 Words   |  5 Pagesand their views on specific political issues of the day. Being able to develop our own ideas and obtain our knowledge freely is a major part of what drives our society, and allows us to make educated decisions and take the right actions. There are several different theories that each explains as to how we have gained the knowledge of issues and policies pertaining to our government today which has helped us to formulate the ideas and opinions that we hold. Of these theories are: pluralist, democraticRead MoreAdvantages of mass media1332 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Do the advantages of Mass Media outweigh the disadvantages? Mass media refers collectively to all the media technologies that are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. There are various forms of mass media such as radio, television, movies, magazines, newspapers and the World Wide Web. Mass Media enjoys a very prominent role in our lives and thus, it is believed to influence our society. There are positive and negative effects of mass media on our society. This essay willRead MoreMass Media And Social Construction1438 Words   |  6 PagesMass Media and Social Construction Mass media has a large influence over perception of news articles, and the way it is portrayed to the public particularly in the case of crime and deviance; differing perspectives cause an array of reactions within society. Crime is commonly defined as an act that defies the laws set by the government, however deviance is a greater challenge to characterize as it is an idea that is socially constructed, primarily by the media. For example; an individual may seeRead Morepower elite vs. pluralist model1965 Words   |  8 Pages Abstract Both the Elite and the Pluralist models are a means by which public policy is created. Both do not conform to the democracy created by our fore-fathers; a government for the people and by the people. The Elite model is one in which a small group of wealthy white males hold the power and control the policy making for our country. In contrast, the Pluralist model suggest that the power is distributed among interest groups that compete to control public policy. BothRead MoreThe Dichotomized Media During Vietnam War2522 Words   |  11 PagesNansong Huang American Foreign Policy, Research Paper Prof. Blanchard Due 12/6/14 The Dichotomized Media in Vietnam War Introduction The Vietnam War was the longest, most costly and brutal war the US had ever fought during the cold war era. Even back to as early as 1950, the United States had been sending military advisers to Vietnam. With the escalation of the US evolvement in the early 1960s, the peak of the evolvement of 1968 followed by the Tet Offensive, and the final withdraw in 1973, itRead More Who Holds Power in the United Kingdom Today1598 Words   |  7 Pagespower. Robert Dahl coined this theory as polyarchy, meaning the rule by many. Most importantly, pluralists maintain that the electoral system reinforces polyarchy by guaranteeing that the state responds to pulic opinion and listens impartially to all. In other words, the state acts as a neutral arbiter between group pressures e.g. the fox hunting debate. Unlike pluralists, elite theorists reject the idea of democracy, instead offering the analysis that a small minority