Essay On Media Influence On American Democracy

The American nation prides itself on its democratic values and the idea that the power of the nation is held in the hands of the people. In order to have a functioning government that also keeps most of the citizens’ interests at heart, it is necessary to have a complex and balanced system of government. The American government accomplices this by dividing its powers into three branches, the legislative, executive, and judicial. These three branches have a complex system where they check each other's powers with their own powers. Along with this balance comes the effect of public opinion on American democracy. While some may believe that public opinion does not exert the proper influence on American democracy and leaves the country in the

Working hand in hand with polls are many other forms of media, such as television, newspapers, interviews, podcasts, etc. These forms of media are used throughout major elections in the U.S. and can heavily influence the chances of a candidate winning the election. For instance, during former president Bill Clinton’s election, "the media's attention on Clinton gave him the momentum to make it through the rest of the primary season, ultimately winning the Democratic nomination and the presidency" (UCF). Bill Clinton’s success in presenting himself well in the media effectively won him the presidency. This is just one example of how the media can be used to heavily influence an election. Clinton realized he needed to manipulate the media to focus its attention on him if he wanted to win the election because the media represents the opinion of the public. The popular opinion of the public ultimately fueled the media because these majorities increased viewership rates and kept the media outlets alive. As candidates, like Clinton, realize how influential the media is, they will shift their views and agendas to align with public opinion in order to get more coverage and therefore increase their chances of winning the election. Henceforth, the effect of public opinion causes media outlets to appeal to most of the public in order to maintain viewers. This appeal to

Using the results of major polling organizations over time and the policies in place at that time, it is made clear that there is a clear correlation between them both. There was a congruent correlation between public opinion and public policy according to those results, which give a tangible case in which public opinion influenced American democracy. Next, forms of media, such as polls, allow public opinion to be voiced quickly to elected officials and heighten the influence that public opinion has on American democracy. As technology has developed, so have the forms of media, thus making it almost impossible for elected officials to be ignorant of their constituents' views. These officials now take steps to gain the attention of the media because they understand that in order to have power in their positions, they must be able to appeal to the public and have their views reflect public opinion. Some say there has been less public opinion as time has gone on. However, the media's presence in modern-day elections makes it inevitable for American democracy to acknowledge public opinion. The presence of the media makes public opinion constantly present in America's democracy, which highlights the flaw in the argument that the influence of public opinion has decreased.