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Do Mass Media Influence the Political Behavior of Citizens

Outside of the academic environment, a harsh and seemingly ever-growing debate has appeared, concerning how mass media distorts the political agenda. Few would argue with the notion that the institutions of the mass media are important to contemporary politics. In the transition to liberal democratic politics in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe the media was a key battleground. In the West, elections increasingly focus around television, with the emphasis on spin and marketing. Democratic politics places emphasis on the mass media as a site for democratic demand and the formation of “public opinion”. The media are seen to empower citizens, and subject government to restraint and redress. Yet the media are not just neutral observers but are political actors themselves. The interaction of mass communication and political actors — politicians, interest groups, strategists, and others who play important roles — in the political process is apparent. Under this framework, the American political arena can be characterized as a dynamic environment in which communication, particularly journalism in all its forms, substantially influences and is influenced by it.

According to the theory of democracy, people rule. The pluralism of different political parties provides the people with “alternatives,” and if and when one party loses their confidence, they can support another. The democratic principle of “government of the people, by the people, and for the people” would be nice if it were all so simple. But in a medium-to-large modern state things are not quite like that. Today, several elements contribute to the shaping of the public’s political discourse, including the goals and success of public relations and advertising strategies used by politically engaged individuals and the rising influence of new media technologies such as the Internet.

A naive assumption of liberal democracy is that citizens have adequate knowledge of political events. But how do citizens acquire the information and knowledge necessary for them to use their votes other than by blind guesswork? They cannot possibly witness everything that is happening on the national scene, still less at the level of world events. The vast majority are not students of politics. They don’t really know what is happening, and even if they did they would need guidance as to how to interpret what they knew. Since the early twentieth century this has been fulfilled through the mass media. Few today in United States can say that they do not have access to at least one form of the mass media, yet political knowledge is remarkably low. Although political information is available through the proliferation of mass media, different critics support that events are shaped and packaged, frames are constructed by politicians and news casters, and ownership influences between political actors and the media provide important short hand cues to how to interpret and understand the news.

One must not forget another interesting fact about the media. Their political influence extends far beyond newspaper reports and articles of a direct political nature, or television programs connected with current affairs that bear upon politics. In a much more subtle way, they can influence people’s thought patterns by other means, like “goodwill” stories, pages dealing with entertainment and popular culture, movies, TV “soaps”, “educational” programs. All these types of information form human values, concepts of good and evil, right and wrong, sense and nonsense, what is “fashionable” and “unfashionable,” and what is “acceptable” and “unacceptable”. These human value systems, in turn, shape people’s attitude to political issues, influence how they vote and therefore determine who holds political power.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Business [http://letstalkaboutbusiness.com/], Beauty [http://letstalkaboutbeauty.com/], and Finance [http://ifinancecentral.com/]

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Simple Money Making Tips For Moms

Moms know that staying home with the kids is an important job, perhaps the most important job that a woman can have. Unfortunately, few moms can afford to give up all of the income theyve been contributing to the family coffers. However, finding the right work from home job can be a bit of a challenge. Luckily, moms can find ways to contribute to the households financial well being while they are hunting for the perfect work from home job.

Do your children have toys theyve barely touched or clothing theyve outgrown that is still in good shape? One great way to make a bit of extra money is to gather up all of the items you arent using anymore and hold a garage sale or yard sale. Make sure that everything is clean, well organized, and clearly priced before you hold your sale. You should have a sign that clearly announces the sale in your front yard and you may want to also place a classified ad in your local paper. To save on advertising costs and generate more interest, ask a few other neighborhood moms to chip in.

If you dont live in a yard sale friendly location, you can still resell your childrens gently worn clothing as they outgrow it. Check the local yellow pages for the phone numbers for a few consignment shops. Be sure to talk to a few different shops to find one that has a low consignment fee and is also clean and well organized.

Of course, you can also earn money by going to yard sales and buying nice items at low prices to resell on eBay. Before you begin buying things, take some time to look at eBay auctions to see what sells and what doesnt. Some of the oddest items, such as childrens weaving looms or fast food collectibles still in the bag, sell for a good sum of money. Other things dont sell at all.

Another great way for moms to make money is to combine coupons, sales, and rebates. During the Christmas season, many stores have substantial rebate offers for everything from tools to pre-paid cellular phones. You can have a wonderful Christmas without blowing the family budget, which will make you feel just as happy after the holiday as your kids feel while they are opening their gifts. Of course, quite a few drug stores have rebate offers for hair dye, shampoos, and extension cords throughout the year. If you use these items, you probably planned to buy them anyway, but you may not have been considering buying them if you have no use for them. However, even if you dont need something that is free or almost free after rebate, you may want to buy it to add to your yard sale stash.

Finally, if youd like to be able to afford a few fun extras, you may want to consider doing a bit of mystery shopping. You can get free meals, trips to the movies, or clothing in exchange for information about your shopping experience. Just be sure you dont pay for mystery shopper information. One of the best free places to find legitimate companies that offer mystery shopping is www.internetbasedmoms.com