Public Opinion and the Media

As the media becomes more powerful and influential in American society their portrayal of politicians and their decisions becomes even more important. Public opinion is vulnerable and therefore heavily influenced by the media and the news it chooses to report or omit. The media also conducts public opinion polls which measure the feelings of the public on various issues and decisions of politicians. Politicians are elected by the masses as their representatives. As such, these representatives are expected to vote and make decisions based on the ideals and political values held by their constituents. In reality politicians often disregard the opinion of the public who elected them. Rather than act on majority opinion these politicians often ignore these polls and vote on personal belief and value. This is demonstrated by the public polls which indicate legislators and politicians are the least trusted professionals in America. This public distrust of the elected officials has been fostered by years of politicians disregarding the ideals held by the people who actually elected them.

Few American citizens would claim that the media is not an important source for information about the political system in our country. These same people would also have to admit that almost every media source is biased. The right to be biased is essentially guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution. This bias is orchestrated through the slant they take on the stories they report. They often demonstrate this bias in their coverage of elections and portrayal of the opposing political party. It can be argued that the media should be an unbiased source of political information. However, it must also be argued that American citizens have a responsibility to actively seek unbiased news for themselves. The best solution lies in citizens being willing to separate the bias of reported news from the truth. These citizens must also seek the truth regarding the issues which are important to them. This dual responsibility would create more educated, knowledgeable citizens who are capable of making decisions based on facts.

The media is an important part of a working political system in America. The citizens look to this media for information but should be often reminded that this form of media is often biased and should be “taken with a grain of salt.” The responsibility of receiving unbiased information is a dual relationship which must be assumed by both the media and American citizens.