Vocab:
Linkage institution – a structure within a society that connects the people to the government. These institutions include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media
The media plays a pivotal role in American politics. It is a linkage institution that provides the most information at the quickest pace. The twenty-four hour news coverage from CNN, Fox, and MSNBC provides the public with news literally every hour of the day. However studies show that sixty-one percent of people under thirty years old get some or most of their political news from late night television. Popularity of shows like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report has been on the rise. In addition Saturday Night Live has been doing more sketches about politicians and the government. Recently Miley Cyrus hosted SNL and she did a music video about the government shutdown to the tune of her song We Can’t Stop. If sixty-one percent of the population under thirty is getting their news from the Miley version of Michelle Bachman there is a problem with the system. Yet news stations like CNN and Fox, who should provide professional information on current events and politics, are biased, boring, or completely of topic most of the time. So where does that leave the American public? The author Russell Peterson said, “it’s terrible how people choose entertainment over the news; on the other hand, what news?” If people can get similar information from CNN and from The Daily Show the majority of the population is going to choose the funny, witty, satire over a news program. However this situation brings up a problem when you consider the way the information is delivered. Jon Stewart from the Daily Show is a funny guy and if you understand his sarcasm he is very informative. The problem arises when viewers take something he says word for word. Viewers need to filter through satire and political bias to get the true news story. This is no different from news programs like the very conservative Fox program. While they do cover current events and many political stories, viewers have to differentiate between bias that is stated as fact and the actual facts of a story. All aspects of the media can be helpful and informative if people choose to put in the minimal time and effort to figure out the truth.
Linkage institution – a structure within a society that connects the people to the government. These institutions include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media
The media plays a pivotal role in American politics. It is a linkage institution that provides the most information at the quickest pace. The twenty-four hour news coverage from CNN, Fox, and MSNBC provides the public with news literally every hour of the day. However studies show that sixty-one percent of people under thirty years old get some or most of their political news from late night television. Popularity of shows like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report has been on the rise. In addition Saturday Night Live has been doing more sketches about politicians and the government. Recently Miley Cyrus hosted SNL and she did a music video about the government shutdown to the tune of her song We Can’t Stop. If sixty-one percent of the population under thirty is getting their news from the Miley version of Michelle Bachman there is a problem with the system. Yet news stations like CNN and Fox, who should provide professional information on current events and politics, are biased, boring, or completely of topic most of the time. So where does that leave the American public? The author Russell Peterson said, “it’s terrible how people choose entertainment over the news; on the other hand, what news?” If people can get similar information from CNN and from The Daily Show the majority of the population is going to choose the funny, witty, satire over a news program. However this situation brings up a problem when you consider the way the information is delivered. Jon Stewart from the Daily Show is a funny guy and if you understand his sarcasm he is very informative. The problem arises when viewers take something he says word for word. Viewers need to filter through satire and political bias to get the true news story. This is no different from news programs like the very conservative Fox program. While they do cover current events and many political stories, viewers have to differentiate between bias that is stated as fact and the actual facts of a story. All aspects of the media can be helpful and informative if people choose to put in the minimal time and effort to figure out the truth.
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