Media And Public Opinion

When considering whether public opinion is an aggregation of individual opinions, a reflection of majority beliefs, the result of media and elite opinion or simply a myth, one must consider what constitutes “the public.” American Sociologist, Herbert Blumer, contends that the “public” is a form of collective behavior made up of individuals who are discussing a public issue at a given time. Blumer holds that decisions such as what brand of blue jeans or what type of car to buy is a form of collective behavior. Considering Blumer's theory, one must take into account the ways in which the media, advertising and propaganda have been utilized through the years to influence and even determine public opinion.

Statistics indicate that the American public spends at least a third of its time in front of the televsion. It would stand to reason that media would have at least a covert effect on public opinion. Maxwell E. McCombs breaks down the dynamic of media influence using the daily news as an example of how media and elite opinions simply get more exposure. McCombs points out that newsroom staff, editors and Journalists, who all play a part in deciding which stories to run, play an important role in shaping the political reality of the public.

Though the evidence linking media influence to public opinion is not at all conclusive, it is impossible to deny the fact that voters, consumers and the public at-large gather information and make decisions based on what they see and hear on television or read online. The reach of media influence, then, varies from person to person based on many factors – education and political interests ranking among the most important of these factors.

The exact nature of public opinion is complex and, probably could be viewed according to any of the five definitions proposed previously. Public opinion could be measured by polls of randomly selected individuals, if one believes that the opinion of the majority can and should be held as a sort of standard for all. However, the fact that the media controls the dissemination of information, it stands to reason that it has the greatest impact upon public opinion.

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