Political Awareness And Role Of Media

By Sabyasachi Amitav


The phenomenal growth in mass media channels have led to an expansion of the roles it could play in various areas apart from performing the functions of providing information, influencing public opinion and social attitudes, entertainment and bringing about greater social integration. In contemporary times, the media plays an important role in providing information through news reports and analysis, which is beneficial in assessing political performance.

In Indian, the press has historically played a powerful role in motivating people to participate in the freedom struggle during the pre-independence era. After independence, the press has been joined by the more powerful electronic media, radio and television in communicating political information to the people. A few years ago the press was the main mass media channel which reported on political conditions prevailing in the country. But today political information is dominant on the national television channel as well as the satellite channels. All these media channels compete with one another to bring people closer to the political processes, important issues linked to them and their probable effects on society.

Elections have become specialised events with many of the political aspirants coming up with competitive communication strategies to attract people's attention and win a favourable opinion. The Star channel started a 24-hour news channel during the 1998 elections to provide a continuous coverage of the political campaigns in various parts of the country. Panel discussions, opinion analysis, talk shows, interviews and speeches on the mass media attempt to create a political awareness and influence the future course of political activity in the country.

Media theory

The use of the mass media to create political awareness has been based on the belief of early communication researchers according to whom there was a direct cause and effect relationship between media messages and their audiences (Lazarsfeld, Berelson and Gaudet, 1948). The mass media were thus regarded as credible sources of information influencing its readers about their political behaviour. But this perception has been modified with research which recognises that people use the mass media for information which indirectly helps to make decisions in political.

The mass media are now regarded as intervening influences in creating political awareness and assessment of political performance. The mass media have differential effects on rural and urban populations depending upon their literacy rates, exposure to media, level of political awareness and interest in politics. In India the differences across local, state and national elections may also be a factor which determines political awareness, interest and voter participation.

Election campaigns have long served as empirical test ground for theories of political campaigns and how different groups of people understand political communication processes within society. With gradual increase in literacy rates and welfare measures which aimed to draw greater political participation from the people at the grass root level, political communication is gaining importance in various mass media channels. Today all successful political campaigns make extensive use of various mass media to attract audience attention and influence their voting behaviour.

Political awareness

The national and vernacular press seek to give a balanced coverage of the controversial issues and political agenda of various political parties. It is expected that through these information on specific agenda items the audience arrive at a decision either in favour or against it.

The mass media of radio and television are relatively new in the history of communications. Except for the book, the magazine and the newspaper which antedate the present century, the mass media are the gifts of the 20th century to us. Even press has come under the beneficial impact of modern technological developments and responded to changing social conditions. Within this century printed material have increased greatly, ineffectiveness and circulation. The picture magazine, the paperback, posters, advertisements, exhibitions and other graphic forms of communication are all the products of present age. The story of the mass impact of these media is of still more recent times.

The print media, especially newspapers, are currently full of stories of how politicians are getting ready to use television to sell agencies are also being hired. In the recent election B.J.P. (Bharatiya Janata Party) hired 19 advertising agencies for their election propaganda. Films are also being made and slogans and ditties composed to catch the voter's attention. This is not the first TV election, it started from 1996 and proved that electronic sophistry alone does not change a voters mind if he/she is not inclined to vote for a particular party.

In the run up to the elections, politicians and political parties are vying for prime time on television to woo the voters. Jingles, short films and slogans are being made to catch the viewer's attention. But how effective is the electronic media in swinging votes is the question.

In a study conducted in Tamilnadu, 29 percent of the total 400 respondents said that the media gave them information that influenced their judgment and the media helped in evaluating the electoral candidates (The Hindu, 1998). Some credible programmes made them change their political judgment about various parties. The news programmes helped them to know more about the parties in greater detail. There is a definite influence of electronic and print media in present day elections. Political awareness is increasing among the people with increased exposure to the mass media.

The role of media in the Indian elections is clearer in helping the people to choose their candidate from the wide array of parties in the fray. ""Election watch"", a programme conducted by former I.A.S. personalities Mr. B.P.R. Vithal and N. Jaya Prakash Narayan, is a ""Voter education programme"", monitoring party lists for candidates with criminal backgrounds, suggesting safeguards against bogus voting and organising public debates between rival candidates. Such media programmes have activated public interest and led to greater pursuance of political news and information plays.

Media evaluation

The mass media the press in particular, has a significant role in assessing the political performance of governments. A comparative study of the press and its role in influencing historically important political events might provide us with a better understanding of political, social and religious undercurrents. An in-depth analysis of the press during the Nehru and Gandhi eras reflect greater emphasis on domestic concerns. The patterns of concerns expressed in the newspapers about domestic issues may influence the Indian political processes.

Research into the area of competitive monopoly of the Indian press and its influential ties to the Government might throw some light on the influence of the government in shaping public opinion about its policies. A comparative study of the last seven elections and the role of the newspapers in those elections might provide us with some measure of the influence of the press in a country whose people, while largely illiterate, are tuned to the political currents of the period.

As communication through the government controlled radio and television channels increases, the kind of political role the newspapers play will become important. As the influence of English language newspapers diminishes, the vernacular press gains greater advantage in shaping public opinion towards the government.

Public opinion

Unit the 1980's, candidates thought of campaign communications as involving either conversing and telephone banks for interpersonal communication or brochures and broadcast advertising for the mass media.

Some candidates use cable TV to advertise to specialised audiences, but the primary impact of cable has been on other campaign media. As the share of viewers watching network television declines, campaigners age turning to other media such as direct mail to assure that voters have not been missed. Second, interactive cable system, although not wide-spread, have offered voters opportunities to interact voters opportunities to interact with each other as well as with candidates in ways that were not previously available (Abramson, 1987)

Third, the archiving of C-SPAN and state and local government proceedings has made it possible for candidates to monitor themselves or opponents in order to develop campaign advertising based on publicity cable cast gaffes or grand standing speeches.Video cassettes and video conferencing is increasingly being used in statewide and national campaigns to allow campaign leaders to meet 'face to face' without being taxed by already overburdened travel schedules. Electronic mail, though not widely, is available to some individuals. Personal computers and specialised campaign software allow even the smallest campaign to main list supporters and to target mail to them.

A look at the recent Indian elections belies the reality that India is a poor country. Parties hire planes for their leaders and advertising agencies for their campaigns. It comes as no surprise that we are facing India's first true television election. The national broadcasting television channels had the monopoly of covering the elections a few years ago. Advertising agencies were used as far back as 1985, but there was little need to package leaders and parties. This time, a host of private channels have joined the fray bombarding the viewer with news programmes and special election bulletins. It is no wonder that jockeying for visibility among political parties is at its most intense.

Television has given nationwide recognition to marginal leaders of marginal parties. In the age of the television election, politicians are being coached on how to speak, when to speak, and even on what clothes look good and TV politicians are becoming brands. It with is a new age election campaign. Elaborately designed ""rathams"" (chariots) and vans make way for helicopters and staid bullet proof Ambassadors, traditional propaganda techniques give way to satellite and cable TV networks. Many factors influence the effects of political communication on diverse segments of society. Since India's population constitutes a large rural populace the differential effects of media campaigns on the rural and urban population deserve special attention.

Mass communication has become the order of the whether they are urban or rural based. Experts in the field are greatly concerned about the effects of mass communication on the minds of the people in so far as it concerns social change. The radio and TV present to their audience information regarding the national and domestic scene under their programme called ""The news"". But how the people especially the poor rural folk receive the news and understand its implications is a question. A vast majority of the rural masses do not realise the importance of their own participation in national development, many lack basic political knowledge about the country or the bare minimum political desire to cast their vote.