Lectures MSP
Week 1
Lecture 1: power of the media (politics)
3 perspectives: political actors, media, public. ‘politics is above all contest’ – Wolfsveld
Media provides audience
• need to be heard remains a central part of political game
• “if you don’t exist in the media, you don’t exist politically”; You cannot vote for a
person you do not know. Become known - Mobilize supporters - Influence public
opinion - Influence policy
! 5 principles in political communication (wolfsveld):
1. Political power can usually be translated into power over the news media.
o The more powerful get covered more often (wolfsveld). We are obsessed with
powerful people. Elites also get more coverage. Non powerful need to do
something that makes impact and are in a difficult position regarding the news
media. Power of the media is depending on who owns the stuff.
o If you have political power, you automatically appear in the media (front door).
o If you have no political power then you often have to do remarkable things before
you appear in the media (back door)
2. When the powerful lose control over political environment, they also lose control
over the news
o Because how powerful politicians, how powerful the social groups. -> start being
critical
o When there are leaks or scandals surrounding a political actor the media will report
negatively
3. Every political story that appears in the media is biased /There is no such thing
as objective journalism
o Some topics are never discussed/ some topics are discussed very often.
o News is a product of journalists. It is always based on the choices of journalists.
o Journalists determine what goes into the news and how they convey it through
frames.
4. The media are dedicated more than anything else telling a good story and this
can often have an impact on political process.
o The media wants to make stories interesting and newsworthy. They do this by
reporting negativity and conflict.
5. The most important effect of the news media on citizens tend to be unintentional
unnoticed.
o Human brain forms political ideas.
o When there is a strong ideological bias in the media then people notice this and are
not influenced because they already disagree. When only 1 frame is used in the
media and there are no competing frames then people do not notice the frame
because there is thus no alternative. Often this is with cultural bias, since all
Western news is very different from non-Western news (more good stories about
crime, for example), but people do not notice this.
1
,The media is also an economic activity; Minimum amount of money and maximum amount of
content / listeners.
Media and politics
• competitive symbiosis
• mutual dependence
• publicity versus info
• each side of the relationship attempts to exploit the other
• expending a minimum amount of costs (Wolfsveld)
• Politicians/ elites need good media coverage
Political power= media power
• Front door: the powerful get more media access and positive media coverage
• Back door: powerless have to work hard to make themselves relevant
• Side door: attention by civil disobedience
State media vs. private media?
Russian tv market: each state media biased by leaders. Inequality is not accidental, but
structural. Those are powerful are constantly in the news. Less powerful ignored.
Political economy of mass media is missing in Wolfsveld:
• Noam Chomsky
o the political economy of mass media – media = against democracy
• Edward s. Herman
o developed the propaganda model of media criticism arguing that market forces,
internalized assumptions and self-censorship motivate newspapers and television
networks to ignore minority opinions.
• ! Herman and Chomsky describe US media as businesses that sell a product
(audiences = consumers) to other businesses. People sell your attention. The media
sells you, your time!
Naïve liberal model:
1. Justice= fair treatment of individuals and groups
2. Equity= individuals and groups have the same opportunities in life
3. Freedoms= people have the right to think and speak as they wish
4. Representation= elected representatives act on behalf of citizens
Media as democratic watchdog (Bennet en Serrin, 2005)
media guards democracy and controls those in power through research and objective
information
• Media takes initiative
• Investigative reporting
• Independent scrutiny
2
, • Documenting, questioning and investigating
• Provide public and officials with timely information
A well-functioning media is of paramount importance for democratic societies
• Report events objectively as they occur
o to allow citizens to make informed political choices
• Control power-holders and unearth abuses of power through investigative journalism
Herman and Chomsky
• US media fails to perform democratic task and are basically related to propaganda
systems in totalitarian states
• media is involved in misinformation, and argues that the media has extended the cold
war
• Noam argues that the media is against democracy
• Chomsky states that “propaganda is to a democracy what the bludgeon is to a
totalitarian state”
• Unlike totalitarian systems, where physical force can be readily used to coerce the
general population, democratic societies like the US can only make use of non-violent
means of control
Michel Foucault
• power is everywhere
• Diffused and embodied in discourse, knowledge and regimes of truth
• Norms are embedded beyond perception
• Causing us to discipline ourselves without any coercion from others
o Pancopticism: ordening and controlling of humans through unseen forces
Power
the intentional production of causal effects
Ability make people do something and to exercise control over people
You can overcome a position
Its someone who is on top and who is down
There is always somebody who decides over you.
Power is hierarchical: A gets B to do something that B would not have done (Heywood)
Principle & subaltern
• Power relations are hierarchical relations between superior (principle) and subordinate
(subaltern)
• In power relations there is intentional action of a superior
• The subordinate always has some room to manoeuvre some freedom and choice
3
, 4 forms of power:
• Limiting options
• changing the basis of choices
• Shaping the meaning of things
• Ideological and discursive hegemony and disciplining
Force and coercion (=dwang)
• Physical coercion based on negative bodily and emotional sanctions
• Violent actions directed against the body or mind of subaltern
• The principal reduces the options of the subaltern to zero
• Non-violence directed at limiting the freedom of the subaltern (example: humiliation)
Manipulation and propaganda
• The principal changes the bases on which the subaltern perceives the rational bases of
action without the subaltern noticing it
• Subaltern chooses on rational what the principal wants (propaganda, advertising)
Signification and cognitive symbolism
• Power relations are meaningful (particular logic of signification process).
• You can’t change reality by fighting the existing systems
o Instead make new models that make the old ones obsolete.
• Words matter: tax relief.
Framing
• The core idea is that frames shape individual understanding and public opinion by
stressing specific elements or features (Nelson, Clawson & Oxley, 1977)
• Frames are ideologically laden
o package of truth claims about reality
Dominant ideology
• Ideological hegemony is a situation where particular ideology is reflected by a society
in all principal social institutions, dominant cultural ideas and most social
relationships
• Media is ideological.
Ideological hegemony, Herman and Chomsky
4
Week 1
Lecture 1: power of the media (politics)
3 perspectives: political actors, media, public. ‘politics is above all contest’ – Wolfsveld
Media provides audience
• need to be heard remains a central part of political game
• “if you don’t exist in the media, you don’t exist politically”; You cannot vote for a
person you do not know. Become known - Mobilize supporters - Influence public
opinion - Influence policy
! 5 principles in political communication (wolfsveld):
1. Political power can usually be translated into power over the news media.
o The more powerful get covered more often (wolfsveld). We are obsessed with
powerful people. Elites also get more coverage. Non powerful need to do
something that makes impact and are in a difficult position regarding the news
media. Power of the media is depending on who owns the stuff.
o If you have political power, you automatically appear in the media (front door).
o If you have no political power then you often have to do remarkable things before
you appear in the media (back door)
2. When the powerful lose control over political environment, they also lose control
over the news
o Because how powerful politicians, how powerful the social groups. -> start being
critical
o When there are leaks or scandals surrounding a political actor the media will report
negatively
3. Every political story that appears in the media is biased /There is no such thing
as objective journalism
o Some topics are never discussed/ some topics are discussed very often.
o News is a product of journalists. It is always based on the choices of journalists.
o Journalists determine what goes into the news and how they convey it through
frames.
4. The media are dedicated more than anything else telling a good story and this
can often have an impact on political process.
o The media wants to make stories interesting and newsworthy. They do this by
reporting negativity and conflict.
5. The most important effect of the news media on citizens tend to be unintentional
unnoticed.
o Human brain forms political ideas.
o When there is a strong ideological bias in the media then people notice this and are
not influenced because they already disagree. When only 1 frame is used in the
media and there are no competing frames then people do not notice the frame
because there is thus no alternative. Often this is with cultural bias, since all
Western news is very different from non-Western news (more good stories about
crime, for example), but people do not notice this.
1
,The media is also an economic activity; Minimum amount of money and maximum amount of
content / listeners.
Media and politics
• competitive symbiosis
• mutual dependence
• publicity versus info
• each side of the relationship attempts to exploit the other
• expending a minimum amount of costs (Wolfsveld)
• Politicians/ elites need good media coverage
Political power= media power
• Front door: the powerful get more media access and positive media coverage
• Back door: powerless have to work hard to make themselves relevant
• Side door: attention by civil disobedience
State media vs. private media?
Russian tv market: each state media biased by leaders. Inequality is not accidental, but
structural. Those are powerful are constantly in the news. Less powerful ignored.
Political economy of mass media is missing in Wolfsveld:
• Noam Chomsky
o the political economy of mass media – media = against democracy
• Edward s. Herman
o developed the propaganda model of media criticism arguing that market forces,
internalized assumptions and self-censorship motivate newspapers and television
networks to ignore minority opinions.
• ! Herman and Chomsky describe US media as businesses that sell a product
(audiences = consumers) to other businesses. People sell your attention. The media
sells you, your time!
Naïve liberal model:
1. Justice= fair treatment of individuals and groups
2. Equity= individuals and groups have the same opportunities in life
3. Freedoms= people have the right to think and speak as they wish
4. Representation= elected representatives act on behalf of citizens
Media as democratic watchdog (Bennet en Serrin, 2005)
media guards democracy and controls those in power through research and objective
information
• Media takes initiative
• Investigative reporting
• Independent scrutiny
2
, • Documenting, questioning and investigating
• Provide public and officials with timely information
A well-functioning media is of paramount importance for democratic societies
• Report events objectively as they occur
o to allow citizens to make informed political choices
• Control power-holders and unearth abuses of power through investigative journalism
Herman and Chomsky
• US media fails to perform democratic task and are basically related to propaganda
systems in totalitarian states
• media is involved in misinformation, and argues that the media has extended the cold
war
• Noam argues that the media is against democracy
• Chomsky states that “propaganda is to a democracy what the bludgeon is to a
totalitarian state”
• Unlike totalitarian systems, where physical force can be readily used to coerce the
general population, democratic societies like the US can only make use of non-violent
means of control
Michel Foucault
• power is everywhere
• Diffused and embodied in discourse, knowledge and regimes of truth
• Norms are embedded beyond perception
• Causing us to discipline ourselves without any coercion from others
o Pancopticism: ordening and controlling of humans through unseen forces
Power
the intentional production of causal effects
Ability make people do something and to exercise control over people
You can overcome a position
Its someone who is on top and who is down
There is always somebody who decides over you.
Power is hierarchical: A gets B to do something that B would not have done (Heywood)
Principle & subaltern
• Power relations are hierarchical relations between superior (principle) and subordinate
(subaltern)
• In power relations there is intentional action of a superior
• The subordinate always has some room to manoeuvre some freedom and choice
3
, 4 forms of power:
• Limiting options
• changing the basis of choices
• Shaping the meaning of things
• Ideological and discursive hegemony and disciplining
Force and coercion (=dwang)
• Physical coercion based on negative bodily and emotional sanctions
• Violent actions directed against the body or mind of subaltern
• The principal reduces the options of the subaltern to zero
• Non-violence directed at limiting the freedom of the subaltern (example: humiliation)
Manipulation and propaganda
• The principal changes the bases on which the subaltern perceives the rational bases of
action without the subaltern noticing it
• Subaltern chooses on rational what the principal wants (propaganda, advertising)
Signification and cognitive symbolism
• Power relations are meaningful (particular logic of signification process).
• You can’t change reality by fighting the existing systems
o Instead make new models that make the old ones obsolete.
• Words matter: tax relief.
Framing
• The core idea is that frames shape individual understanding and public opinion by
stressing specific elements or features (Nelson, Clawson & Oxley, 1977)
• Frames are ideologically laden
o package of truth claims about reality
Dominant ideology
• Ideological hegemony is a situation where particular ideology is reflected by a society
in all principal social institutions, dominant cultural ideas and most social
relationships
• Media is ideological.
Ideological hegemony, Herman and Chomsky
4
