The Role of the Media in Influencing Political Attitudes...

The Role of the Media in Influencing Political Attitudes in a Democracy Introduction The public gets political information on their preferred candidates or parties from different people and through the media. In today’s world, social media has also been one of main platforms that shape the public opinion. However, engaging in discussion with other members has proven more informative and persuasive than other methods including social media. Mass media is critical in forming the opinions of the members, and they use the discussions and insights they gather from the media to generate their own ideas and viewpoints (Zaller, 55). The media has experts’ analyses who give opinions based on facts and experience on the matters facing the†¦show more content†¦As a result, people end up using information shortcuts that are a threat to the democracy if the shortcuts are controlled by individuals or firms (Zaller, 93). Individuals or firms may be the media houses and their informants who dictate the information they release and give to the people. If the in formation is poorly managed or the choice of information to be availed to the public is not substantial to form an opinion, it may lead to creating the wrong impression, which becomes a threat to democracy in the long run. Whereas an opinion is based on an argument and information, political opinion is grounded on value judgment about a fact that can be changed by an individual from time to time to either form a moral opinion or an altered opinion (Zaller, 105). In practice, it depends on how people acquire political information, and if it is from the media, individuals may turn out to be susceptible to changing their standpoint. This depends on an individual forming an opinion from their own judgment of the information availed to them and it is not always the case. Zaller adds that people have their true opinions and views about a given matter that they alter from time to time since a change is a natural process (Zaller, 90). According to the author, though a person has formed their own opinion, if the question is asked more than once andShow MoreRelatedExplain The Effects Of Family On Ones Political Values1171 Words   |  5 PagesFundamental Values Describe what a democracy is and why it is significant. A democracy is a system of government where the people have the opportunity to have a say in important governmental processes. For instance, in a democracy, one has the privilege to directly vote on key public officials. This can be seen in presidential elections, state elections, etc. A democracy is significant because it protects the interests of the people, and allows citizens to feel a sense of authority in the nation’sRead More The Role of Business in Foreign Policy Essay1651 Words   |  7 Pagesbusiness-related interests have played a predominant role in influencing foreign policy. Foreign policy determines how America conducts its relations with other countries. It is designed to further certain goals such as security and trade. More importantly foreign policy seeks to ensure America’s security and defense and its ability to protect America’s national interests around the world. National interests that shape foreign policy covers a wide range of politica l, economic, military, ideological, and humanitarianRead MoreThe Theory Of Power And Leadership Ideas1021 Words   |  5 PagesIdeas are beliefs and desires constructed in organized pattern with its creation, components and impact that define the political structure and bind the ruling authority in a set of complying characteristics of that idea. There are unexplained varieties of Ideas - great ideas, scientific and moral ideas, realist and fantastic ideas, political, economic or religious ideas. Democracy, power, freedom and rights, citizenship and protest, social justice and equality are all ideas based on which institutionsRead MoreImpact Of Television On The Western Europe2221 Words   |  9 PagesThe Impact of Television on Democracy in Eastern Europe After the second World War , a large part of central Europe was controlled by the Soviet Union and was forced to adapt to the Communism ideology. While the year 1989 was a turning point that some effective revolution interrupted and the Soviet hegemony was destroyed, the demand for democracy and freedom was increased and people tried to find their ways to speak out. With the development of technology, mass media emerged to help address the problemRead MoreThe Media Regulation Of The Uk1514 Words   |  7 PagesThe media regulation in the U.K. is more extensive compared to the U.S. Ofcom is an independent regulator and competition authority across television, radio etc. The PCC, also an independent body, deals with complaints from members of the public about editorial content of newspaper and magazines. The behavior of media is far more regulated in Britain compared to the U.S. In U.S. the views can complain about the content to individual media outlets but in Britain the complaints are published on variousRead MoreNational Differences in Political Economy1295 Words   |  6 PagesNational Differences in Political Economy Global Political Economy Global political economy (GPE) is an academic discipline within the social sciences that analyzes international relations in combination with political economy. Political economy is most commonly used to refer to interdisciplinary studies that draw on economics, law, and political science in order to explain how political institutions, the political environment, and the economics mix with each other. 1 Roles of History and Culture Read MoreThe And Of Public Broadcasting1287 Words   |  6 Pagesinformation to make better decisions. Whether as a voter, consumer or investor, Americans believe they will be able to form their own idealistic views based on what they see in the media. However, that belief is just a fallacy. In my opinion, viewers that believe this false pretense are unaware that a portion of mass media in the Unites States is privately owned. In both public television and radio, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) funds a portion of their revenue (the CPB is a privateRead MoreThe Relationship Between Social Media Platforms And The Government1517 Words   |  7 Pages This essay explores the different relationships between social media platforms and the government to provide insight into the different ways the government uses media masses to further their agendas and how its good business is used for political gain. This essay also discusses the different ideologies and fallacies individuals have of the media’s role in society. This essay wasn’t written to persuade one either way, but rather to bring the important relationship to light, so with better understandingRead MoreKarl Marx s Theory Of Hegemony Theory Essay1518 Words   |  7 Pages â€Å"By emphasizing a democratic civil society as a context for democratic government, the recovery of nineteenth century democratic theory promises a richer understanding of the role of citizens and an understanding of the relationship between democracy and freedom as human development† (Niemi, 2010, p. 41). This paper will discuss about Karl Marx; in regards to class systems, Antonio Gramsci; how studying Marxist thought assisted with his theory of Hegemony Theory. The centre-periphery model willRead MoreArab Uprising Essay2124 Words   |  9 PagesHow has the rise of social media technologies affected political stabilities in the Middle East? Background of the study Middle East countries have been faced by a challenge where leaders lock information. Locking information has resulted to limitation on the flow of information inside Middle East and to the external world. Out of this challenge, democracy in the Middle East has been suppressed and citizens left to suffer. Leaders refuse to listen to the people they rule and dictatorship followed

William Blake; The schoolboy Essay - 896 Words

William Blake; The schoolboy William Blake believed in freedom of speech, democracy and ‘free love’, for these reasons he disagreed strongly with formal education and conventional teaching in both schools and churches. He believed that this constrained people stopping them from having their own thoughts. Blake believed that children who were not given a formal education would want to learn off their own accord making learning more fun and enjoyable for the child. Blake portrays these opinions in the poem ‘The schoolboy’; which he chose to write in the voice of ‘the schoolboy’ himself, to stand up for children who’s views on schooling are rarely acknowledged. Blake’s decision to use a definite article in the title; ‘The†¦show more content†¦The word ‘sighing’ in the last line of this verse relates it back to the first as it could be referring to the child thinking about what he could be doing instead of school. The third stanza is negative again, showing the way the child feels by describing his body language whilst at school; ‘I drooping sit’, and the line ‘and spend many an anxious hour’ shows how the boy is permanently feeling nervous and in fear whilst at school. Blake then goes on to show the effect this would have on the pupil ‘nor in my book can I take delight, nor sit in learning’s bower’, this demonstrates his theory that school represses the child and stops learning being fun for them. These lines imply that if the boy were not at school he would be choosing to read and learn off his own accord. The fourth stanza marks a change in the poem as the narrative shifts from first to third person. This is where Blake addresses the parents and teachers showing that he unlike most other adults agrees with the children when they say they shouldn’t have to go to school. The way the verse is structured into two rhetorical questions makes th e reader stop and think about the matter in hand. Blake provokes sympathy for the schoolboy by comparing him to a ‘bird that is born for joy’ and saying that sending the boy to school when his natural right is to be free and happy, is as bad asShow MoreRelatedWilliam Blake s Poem The Schoolboy 1551 Words   |  7 PagesMany writers construct natural imagery by deploying figurative language throughout their work. Natural imagery is a prominent feature in the works of William Blake, particularly in his 1789 poem ‘The Schoolboy’ published in the poetry collection ‘Songs of Innocence’. He explores the theme of restriction and how freedom can be found in the natural setting, also demonstrating how human-identity can be influenced by these worlds. Blake’s own perception of restriction due to education, and love of imaginationRead More Compare and contrast The Echoing Green with The Schoolboy by1387 Words   |  6 PagesCompare and contrast The Echoing Green with The Schoolboy by William Blake Both The Echoing Green and The Schoolboy are classed under the section, Songs of Innocence, which at first suggests that they will be of a similar nature. However this presumption is dispelled early on, as one examines the issues behind the often comparable wording. Many elements in The Schoolboy do echo those in The Echoing Green and visa versa, but the atmospheres of each poem that are presented are soRead More An Analysis of Blakes The School Boy Essay1745 Words   |  7 Pagesand imagery. Like many of the other poems in this work it deals with childhood and the subjugation of its spirit and uses imagery from the natural world. While first published in 1789 as one of the Songs of Innocence there are strong reasons why Blake moved it to the Experience1 section of the 1794 edition. If we compare it to other poems in the collection it sits better with others in Experience than those in Innocence. On first reading The School Boy is the voice of a young boy complainingRead More Comparison of the Portrayal of Nature in Blake and Wordsworth1518 Words   |  7 PagesComparison of the Portrayal of Nature in Blake and Wordsworth One of the most popular themes for Romantic poetry in England was nature and an appreciation for natural beauty. The English Romantic poets were generally concerned with the human imagination as a counter to the rise of science. The growing intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries placed scientific thought in the forefront of all knowledge, basing reality in material objects. The Romantics found this form of world viewRead MoreThe Concept of the Individual in Literature of the Romantic Period1762 Words   |  8 Pagesparticular how this was a response to the rationalization of nature and neglect of the individual upheld by the Enlightenment Movement. In order to demonstrate this, a close analysis of some poetic works by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth and William Blake will be examined. The Romantic period placed great importance on creativity, imagination and the value of the self, Wordsworth and Coleridge were particularly influential in Britain with regards to the burgeoning of the movement

Children with Special Needs and How They Interact Free Essays

As numerous people have stated before, â€Å"if you want to understand someone, take a walk in their shoes. â€Å" From this, one is not able to truly comprehend the feelings someone may have or how many difficulties a person endeavors on a day-to-day basis, unless they spend time with them. The topic that I helped research as a group for our senior project was how students with special needs cooperate with others like them, and then how they interact with people in society that do not have these needs. We will write a custom essay sample on Children with Special Needs and How They Interact or any similar topic only for you Order Now While researching this project, I kept one question in mind, what similarities and differences occur with these children when they are brought into these situations with new people. Through our mentor, we were able to interact with the special needs children at our school, one by observing from a distance, not to interfere with how they may regularly go about their school day, and then engaging in the tasks of assisting the students with whichever task they had at hand. Numerous children each year are born with disabilities that classify them with needing certain attention in various areas unlike children who do not have these needs. The statistics show that 1 out of every 5 children born will have some sort of impairment that requires the attention of a specialist in that disability. However, until one has been through the types of activities those children have been, it is quite difficult to learn how it is to have these disabilities, and how socializing with others that they are not familiar with can be altered from how one would normally act around others of the same needs. Most of these children are nervous or shy themselves away from regular students at the school, mostly because they either don’t want to try to make friends with them or that they are too afraid that they might be criticized for how they truly are. When our mentor, Mrs. Rang was interviewed, we asked her a series of questions to try to get a better understanding of how these children are, and what she thought of our idea for a possible senior project. Through this interview, we we’re able to find out numerous things about how things in the classroom work for these students. For instance, when asked how often and when the students interacted with students unlike them at the school, we were given the answer of that the interactions were very limited, these times came during physical education classes, bake sales, and fundraisers. Additionally, we also were informed on how well the children cooperate with each other in the classroom, and it was apparent that there was almost a family-like bond between the children. However, based on research, some children with disabilities have a fear of reaching out to socializing with others. These fears can come about from numerous sources, either through mostly experience or what can be seen or heard through the media. The most powerful source of getting news across the world is through the media, where within the chaos, numerous stories are said to be factual, when only the story is false, and people will only read it if it is intriguing to society. One of these stories includes how children with disabilities are being treated at a certain institute in Canton, Massachusetts, by using shock therapy. Whether or not these reports are true does not matter to the reporters, however if a child with special needs sees this story, it would result in them only wanting to surround themselves with other children that are like them due to the safety they may feel with them. Bullying is another form of socialization that may trigger the child’s abilities to break out of their shell and interact with others. With many children feeling like that they won’t be accepted due to their disabilities, their socialization skills deplete and children become more introverted. However, there are numerous websites and books that are help to assist one with their child’s needs in order for them to benefit from the factors of regular children. Certain aspects like greeting a new person everyday will allow them to not be intimidated by the children that are not like them. With proper guidance and support, these children with disabilities can be able to interact with other children unlike them in a comfortable environment. Furthermore, it has been seen in many instants where children with disabilities are able to interact with similar children with ease than to that of others. A variety of reasons can be held accountable for this explanation, such as how much time is spent with comparable children, and the emotions that are felt during these time periods. For example, during our interview, our mentor was able to inform us on how caring the children are for one another, which I feel takes into account where they spend the majority of their day in school together, and those students are the children that they interact with almost everyday. Additionally, many will say that the more time you spend with a person, the more you get to know them and care for them, which is proof with these children. Some however, may not want to branch out and socialize with other children, which even though I feel these students would benefit from the experience, people can not be pressured into something they are not comfortable doing. When doing this sort of project, there are certain risks and learning experiences that come with the opportunity we were presented with. In order to fully commit myself to this project, a certain level of commitment and connection had to be made with the task at hand. Before this project was assigned, I had volunteered time at the Nursing Home where there are numerous patients with disabilities that after listening to their stories, had numerous troubles growing up. It was evident that just like the children now, some wanted to socialize with others, while some rather stay locked up in their rooms all day in a groggy mood. As a result, it inspired me to find out why people with disabilities are sometimes stubborn to interact with others, while still establishing friendships with those who desired companionship in the home, especially those who made connections with others who had similar disabilities. Due to the level of this project, there were also numerous risks and successions that are related to the action of the assignment. After discussing that the group desired to work with the special needs children in Mrs. R Mr. Dami’s class, we knew that we did not want the students to feel like they were just an assignment, where they would only be talked to for a month or two, and then once the class was over, the connection that was made would slowly disappear. If that was the case, no one would benefit from this project, I knew that we had to make sure that we got to know the students, how their personalities were, what their interests are, and other such aspects. The risk being taken was that when going into this project, we were not aware of how the students might feel with us being in their classroom. Being uncomfortable in a safe environment is one of the factors that we as a group wanted to make sure would not happen, however studying their behavior with others would allow us to benefit for the task at hand. Success would be able to be achieved, only if our interactions were carried out properly. From this, our success would be finding out the difference between the socialization that children with disabilities use when they are surrounded with different people. Moreover, failure would also be expected when we were spending time with the children because as Benjamin Disraeli once said, â€Å" All my successes have been built on my failures†. From this, we were not expecting perfection the first time we met the children, but hopefully, a bond would slowly start to form between us and eventually they would become more comfortable to talk to us when they ever saw in the hallways or during lunches. This is able to relate to civics, where from our education throughout the years in socializing with others, not bullying, and always making other feel welcome, we are able to take the lessons that we have already learned, and apply them to the task at hand and hopefully make new friends along the way. The experiences that I have had so far have been very beneficial to not only me, but my group as a whole. We were able to discover that some of the children with special needs wanted friends, but were too afraid to due to lack of socializing when they were younger. On another note, some children were able to talk to anyone that was willing to listen, while others unfortunately did not wish to make new friends than the ones that they already had currently in the classroom. Different personalities were able to shine through while we visited the students during different blocks, and friendships were able to begin being built. However, more information on why parents and others do not try to socialize their children with disabilities would be helpful when working on this project, however, the best is being made with the research we have. Throughout the experience however, it reminded me of being with the patients at the nursing home, as if those patients younger selves were able to interact with me now, and it was able to give my more insight into their everyday lives, even though I may not have been able to walk a mile in them. To end off though with these friendships and the positive effects they will hopefully have on these children, as Francis Bacon once stated, â€Å"This communicating of a man’s self to his friend works two contrary effects; for it redoubleth joys, and cutteth grief’s in half†. Where joy is able to be experienced by those who enjoy the companionship of a good friend, and the grief they may have suffered is no longer that big of a burden for them to handle. How to cite Children with Special Needs and How They Interact, Essay examples