by Christine Maguire

Created on: May 26, 2008

In society today we are constantly exposed to news from different media sources; newspapers, radio, television and the internet. The media provides politicians with a podium to get their views across, giving them exposure, and is the main contributor in their campaigns.

The American election is a perfect example of how great a role the media plays in politics. The presidential race has been saturating the media for the past few months, and not just in America. Newspapers and television channels across Europe have thorough coverage of all the primaries and debates.

Politicians use the media to their advantage. A huge part of politics is publicity. The public are exposed to numerous staged scenes every day, such as politicians kissing baby's heads, or Clinton knocking back shots and beer. Publicity is what really drives large scale elections. The media put the candidates forward as personalities, and the public choose their favorite, as that is what determines how many people will vote.

For the media, the presidential election is a great thing. The consumers want to find out about the race, and will buy newspapers, go on-line, or turn on their televisions to do so. This creates more revenue for the media, and also gives them an abundance of articles, opinions pieces, editorials and interviews to write. They are spoiled for choice. They do not only provide political analysis of the presidential campaign and the candidate's policies, but present the public with the sensational side of things; the gossip and the private lives of the candidates. Obama and Clinton have become characters, their rivalry has been built up and dramatized.

The media works as both a friend and a potential enemy to the candidates. It gives them exposure to voters to an extent that could not be reached alone, and opportunities to sell themselves on the merits of their image and personalities. It also acts as a watchdog, informing the public of their pasts and policies in a constant fashion.

The media is also responsible for spreading smear campaigns about different politicians. This is damaging to politician's careers. Scandal sells, and rumors such as Obama being a Muslim, or Clinton a lesbian can have irreparable effect on a candidate's campaign. People have a great trust in the media, and if they read something in a newspaper or on the internet, they will often assume it is truth, despite a lack of proof. Smear campaigns are the result of dirty, unscrupulous politics. They should be stamped out, yet the media can be held responsible for stoking the fire by printing them, and thus encouraging those who are behind them.

The media can at times be intrusive. Although politicians need coverage to succeed, this comes with a price when their personal lives and relationships are put in the spotlight. It can be especially hard for their families, as they can come under the same scrutiny as the politician, which is not their choice. One must wonder about the ethics involved in exposing a family member to that, as it is not they who asks to be in the limelight. Strictly speaking, politicians are not famous, and if they have a desire to become involved with politics, is it really fair to report on them as though they are celebrities?

It can be said that it is in fact the media which control the presidential election. The stories which are reported -be they about Clinton's composure during the Lewinsky scandal, or lies about Mc Cain fathering an illegitimate child and his wife's alleged drug addiction- are those which will inevitably shape the course of the election, and result in the final outcome.

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