Political News

Political News

Political news is a very important concept that we all participate in some way or another. According to Hollihan “news, both local and international, gives us a sense of ourselves and the world” (Hollihan Pg.101). Political news helps to form and inform people about all sorts of political issues and ideas. It provides links between groups of people and places that were previously disconnected. It also is one of the key communication methods in our democratic society. It helps to provide facts and the frame work for how these facts fit together. Without political news, our society as a whole would have a hard time functioning and many people would feel a sense of isolation. In this blog I will discuss the importance of political news and the ways in which it helps our society communicate through different primary sources that portray it, as well as the role they play in today's society.

I would like to start off by talking about the importance of political news and the ways in which it helps our society communicate. Political news in our society is very important because it provides the public with a way to understand the political messages that are sent out by our leaders. These leaders are not just sending out raw messages to the public because many of these political issues are complicated. According to Hollihan “raw information is made useful when citizens can understand it, structure it, transform it, and use it as a resource in their interactions with other citizens” (Hollihan Pg.102). This restructuring of our political news makes it so citizens can discuss politics and the issues which they are concerned about. It is an important process because if people cannot understand the information, than they cannot make the important decisions which help to run and structure our country. If people cannot understand the political news they are presented with then “they may begin to nurse personal grievances and become isolated from society” (Hollihan Pg.102). Political news also allows us as Americans to get facts and information about the ideas which are presented to us and then allows us to form our own opinions or conclusions about the ideas. It is important to realize that the political news we read, see, or hear is coming from the person who is presenting it. Sometimes the information is presented in the reporter’s point of view. We must then decode the information presented and draw our own conclusions from it. There is no doubt that political news not only helps our society faction as a whole but it also provides a crucial way for us to communicate with one another in the United States and around the globe. Without political news we would have no idea what other people around the world were doing and we would not be able to learn from their mistakes.

The next ideas that I would like to discuss are the many sources which we use to get our political news. These sources include newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and the internet. Many of these sources have not always been around and the invention of new sources like the internet continually change the ways in which we receive our political news. It all began with people holding up signs and billboards, which relayed a short message to the public about politics and who they should vote for. This was truly one of the first sources of political news that Americans relied on. The invention of the printing press in the 1440’s helped revolutionize the way in which Americans would receive their political news fix in the future. This new printing press allowed newspaper companies to mass produce their papers and spread political news to a much larger audience. The industrial age and factories also played a key role in the availability of political news.

One of the first sources of political news was the newspaper. News papers were a popular source of news during the 1920’s and 1930’s but according to Hollihan the number of people who use it as a source of their political news has slowly been declining since the 1940’s. Hollihan states that this was due to the advent of the television. Although readership has fallen, “ 54% of Americans still read the newspaper in the United States daily and 67 % read it on Sundays”(Hollihan Pg.105). News magazines have also played a minor role in spreading political news. News magazines like Newsweek and Time magazine are a few of the publications that Americans still rely on today for political news. According to Hollihan “the impact of these magazines is not in the content in which they present but rather which candidates they will feature on the cover of their magazine” (Pg.107).Therefore, I do not believe that political magazines deeply inform readers about the arguments in political news but rather they are used to help persuade the reader about a political issue that they are already knowledgeable on. These magazines not only help to persuade the reader but also provide “instant credibility for whichever candidate they decide to put on the cover” (Hollihan Pg. 107). Although news magazines can provide some credible information about political news, I recommend that you use another source for in depth political news.

The next source of political news that I would like to discuss is the television. “The television was created in 1927 by Philo Farnsworth and it provided a whole new way to receive political news and information in general” (Bellis 2005). Even though news magazines, radio, and newspapers were the standard source of news before the television, this quickly changed. According to Hollihan “Despite the depth, variety, and wealth of political campaign information available through daily newspapers and news magazines, most people report that they get the bulk of their political information from television” (Pg. 108). For me, the television is the primary source in which I receive political news. I watch about four hours of television a day and I know that much of the information presented is biased and unreliable, but I still turn to it for my political news fix. The television provides me with channels like CNN and CSPAN which broadcast uninterrupted coverage of important political news 24 hours a day. Even though other sources of political news like newspapers and radio provide more in depth information, television is still the source I turn to when I want a quick synopsis of current political issues. Although this is one of the most commonly used political news resources, it does not provide the quality of information like other news sources.

Another source of political news that is commonly used in America is the radio. The radio came about in the 1920’s and was one of the first ways that political news was spread to a large audience. According to Hollihan “90% of Americans 12 or older listen to the radio each week and the information that is presented through the radio has a higher penetration rate then TV, newspapers, magazines, or even the internet.”(Pg. 114). This to me shows that even though the radio was invented 90 years ago it is still the most important source of news that America relies on for political information. It is also one of the most credible sources, due to the many regulations that are set in place. Information presented through the radio is regulated by the National Public Radio organization, which helps to filter and research the information that is presented to audience and make sure that it is correct. The invention of commercial talk radio also helped to revolutionize the radio and made it a main source for political discussions. It allowed people to call in and express their views about political issues and ideas. When I listen to the radio I find myself listening to commercial talk radio because it is what interests me the most. The radio is one of the greatest ways to discuss and spread political news and many Americans today still rely on this source of political news more than any other.

The final and most recent source of political news that I would like to discuss is the internet. According to Hollihan “the internet offers a rich and wide variety of news about political issues and campaigns” (Pg.115). Many newspapers and magazines have also converted their product to an online format so that readers can access most of the common newspapers without even leaving their homes. In a society where people are multi tasking and constantly on the go, the internet can provide a mobile resource for people who don’t have time to sit down and read the paper. New cell phone technologies and smaller computers have made it easy for people to access political news while there on the go. Although the internet is a great source for political news, it can also be a very bad source due to the vast amount of information one must sort through to find credible information. I know from experience that this can be a very time consuming process which can frustrate the reader and provide them with faulty information. If used correctly the internet can be a great source for all political news and can allow you to access many sources of political news from the comforts of your own home.

Overall political news plays a key role in the ways in which we view ourselves, view the world, and communicate with one another. The many sources of political news provide us with many different views and arguments when discussing political issues. We rely on it to elect our officials and run our democratic society. Without political news, America would not be the functional, educated, democratic society that we are today.



Works Cited
Bellis, Mary. "Television History." About.com. 13 May 2005. Web. 13 Oct. 2009. .
Hollihan, Thomas A. Uncivil Wars: politcal Campaigns in the Media Age. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St.Martins, 2009. Print.